Snapshots: Pinto, Zucker, Palat, Lagesson
After an impressive performance at the World Junior Championships earlier this month, the Ottawa Senators were hoping to convince forward Shane Pinto to sign with them at the end of this collegiate season. In fact, leDroit’s Jean-Francois Plante (translation required) writes that Senators general manager Pierre Dorion visited Pinto Thursday in hopes of convincing him to sign with Ottawa after his season, but he was turned away.
Pinto, the team’s 2019 second-round pick (32nd overall), has been a revelation. Considered a bit of a reach by Ottawa immediately after the draft, Pinto has taken off, posting nine goals and 15 points in 19 games for the University of North Dakota. He joined the United States team at the WJC and was one of the team’s leaders, scoring four goals and seven points in five games. However, Plante reports that Pinto’s agent would like Pinto to continue his development at North Dakota for at least one more year before likely joining the AHL team when he’s more ready physically to compete.
- The Minnesota Wild could be getting back some offensive firepower as forward Jason Zucker practiced with the team Saturday and is a game-time decision for their game Sunday against Vancouver, according to NHL.com’s Dan Myers. Zucker suffered a fractured right fibula after getting hit with a slapshot dump-in by Chicago’s Brent Seabrook on Dec. 15. The forward had surgery and was given a 4-6 week timetable, but looks to be ready early. The 27-year-old has 12 goals and 24 points in 34 games so far this season and could provide the Wild with a much needed offensive boost.
- While Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ondrej Palat missed his first game of the season Saturday with a lower-body injury, NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman reports that Palat is still a possibility to play on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils. Palat has struggled with minor injuries throughout his career, but has produced a solid 12 goals and 26 points in 43 games so far this season.
- The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) breaks down the play of Edmonton Oilers defensive prospect William Lagesson and his potential future with the team. The 23-year-old, currently on the Oilers’ NHL roster, might have trouble cracking the team down the road due to the team’s depth in defensive players and upcoming prospects, which could leave Lagesson on the outside looking in.
Metropolitan Notes: Andersson, Crosby, Devils Injuries, Farabee
New York Rangers team president John Davidson emphasized to reporters Friday that the team has not begun divorce proceedings with prospect Lias Andersson, who has been suspended after requesting a trade on Dec. 21 and leaving the team, and now is sitting in Sweden. In fact Davidson said he wants to speak to him one-on-one to see what the real issue is that he opted to leave the team, according to Newsday’s Denis Gorman.
“It’s a really hard one to figure out until you really end up talking to Lias,” Davidson said before practice at the MSG Training Facility on Friday. “I’ve gone and done a lot of research. I can’t figure out exactly what the issue is other than disappointment.”
Davidson said he has already tried to reach out to Andersson personally, but the prospect has chosen to allow his agents to handle things and he has failed to speak to him up until now. He hopes to get an opportunity to talk to him soon, but also noted that a trip to Sweden won’t be happening any time soon.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins may be playing well, but the team might be getting a big boost as star Sidney Crosby could be ready to go on Sunday against Arizona, although it still remains up in the air, according to TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh. Crosby practiced Saturday without limitations and participated in line rushes alongside right wing Patric Hornqvist and both Jared McCann and Dominik Simon on the left wing. He also practiced on the top power play unit. Crosby, however, was noncommittal about returning on Sunday. “I haven’t ruled out anything,” Crosby said. “But I haven’t really discussed it that much. I just got off the ice here.” Crosby has been out since Nov. 9 after having core muscle surgery.
- NJ.com’s Chris Ryan reports that goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, who isn’t starting Saturday due to an upper-body injury, shouldn’t be out long-term, according to head coach Alain Nasreddine. “We don’t have a concern that it will be long term,” Nasreddine said. “So it’s just precautionary and is getting evaluated.” The team also hopes that rookie Jack Hughes is skating again, but isn’t just ready to return, meaning he will miss his fifth-straight game Saturday with an upper-body injury. However, Ryan adds that forward Jesper Bratt, who has missed three games after blocking a shot with his foot, is ready to return Saturday.
- Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said that while rookie forward Joel Farabee has struggled for a while now, it doesn’t look like the team intends to return the 19-year-old to the AHL any time soon. Farabee, who has tallied just one goal in his last 27 games and has been demoted to the fourth line, will likely stay due to his penalty killing abilities. “I’d like him to score [more] and get a little more confidence, but he’s got a lot of attributes,” Vigneault said. “There are a lot of things he does with the puck and without the puck that we like, so we’re going to stick with him.”
Minor Transactions: 01/11/20
The Red Wings picked up their 12th win of the season on Friday night (albeit against the Senators), while the injury-riddled Penguins won their 13th game since the beginning of December alone and miraculously have the most points in the league since Sidney Crosby went down with an injury. Two of just six teams in action last night, both Detroit and Pittsburgh will take a seat tonight while 22 other teams hit the ice. They return to action on Sunday as two of just twelve teams, as the NHL has just 20 games scheduled from Friday night through Sunday in a relatively quiet weekend. With substantial off-time for many teams, look for the focus to instead be on roster transactions as teams prepare for the coming week. Keep up with all of the action right here:
- Late last night (or this morning on the east coast), the Vegas Golden Knights made a swap up front. The team announced that Nicolas Roy had been reassigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, with Keegan Kolesar promoted to replace him. Roy has been a competent part-time player for the Knights this season, recording five points in eleven games, but Vegas is clearly looking for a different type of presence in bringing up Kolesar. The hard-hitting winger has just ten points on the season in the minors but brings a valuable physical element. However, Vegas timed the recall well if they’re hoping to see a little offense, as Kolesar scored his first two goals of the season with the Wolves just last night. This would be Kolesar’s NHL debut if he does draw into the lineup on this recall.
- CapFriendly reports that the San Jose Sharks also made a move late last night, sending rookie forward Joachim Blichfeld back to the AHL. Blichfeld had only been recalled the day before, but fortunately it is a short walk from the Sharks’ locker room to the Barracuda’s. The Danish winger has been a point-per-game player in the AHL this year, but has been held off the score sheet in two NHL games.
- Yet another Pacific Division team has made a move, though this one occurring this morning, as the Vancouver Canucks have announced the demotion of forward Zack MacEwen. The big, 23-year-old winger has the size and ability to be a difference-maker and has proved as much in the AHL over the last few years, but since the beginning of last season, he has been held to just one goal and three points in a dozen games with the Canucks. He will continue to be a top depth option from the Utica Comets, but will have a hard time finding a full-time role in Vancouver without more consistent production.
- The Washington Capitals have reassigned a healthy Christian Djoos to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Djoos, who received a $1.25MM salary in arbitration this summer, has nevertheless been relegated to the minors for much of the year, mostly as a cap-saving measure. Djoos has played in just two games with the Capitals this year after skating in more than 100 since the start of the 2017-18 season. The move leaves Washington with just six defensemen on the roster for the time being, further proving that Djoos’ experience and AHL production this season will not be enough to keep on the league-leaders’ roster this year.
- The Laval Rocket, farm team to the Montreal Canadiens, have come to terms on a contract with defenseman Evan McEneny for the remainder of the year. McEneny played ten games on a PTO with Laval prior to his status with the team becoming official. The former Vancouver Canucks prospect was a productive AHL defenseman with the Utica Comets over the past three seasons and is deserving of a pro contract.
- With MacKenzie Blackwood out with an upper-body injury, the Devils have recalled goaltender Evan Cormier from Binghamton of the AHL. Cormier has split the season between the AHL and ECHL and will likely only serve as the backup to Louis Domingue until Blackwood returns. To make room on the roster, Ben Street was transferred to IR.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Lukas Radil from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 29-year-old has a goal and five points in eight games with the Barracuda after failing to register a point in 14 contests with the Sharks.
- The New York Islanders announced they have recalled defenseman Sebastian Aho from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. Aho was initally recalled when defenseman Adam Pelech went down with an injury and then sent down on Thursday as the team wasn’t playing again until Saturday. Now he’s back and he’ll serve as an extra defenseman. Just an hour later, Aho was assigned back to Bridgeport. Go figure.
- The Arizona Coyotes announced that they have recalled goaltender Ivan Prosvetov from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, while assigning defenseman Kyle Capobianco to Tucson. Prosvetov’s recall suggests that Arizona still needs a backup to Adin Hill, while the team hopes one of their starting netminders will get healthy. Obviously, they are not ready yet. The 20-year-old has fared quite well in his first pro season as he has a 2.38 GAA and a .931 save percentage in 15 appearances. Capobianco has one goal in seven games for the Coyotes.
Snapshots: Galchenyuk, Domingue, Gallagher
It may come as no surprise, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have made it known around the league that they would like to trade Alex Galchenyuk according to Pierre LeBrun on last night’s edition of Insider Trading for TSN. Galchenyuk was only acquired last offseason in the Phil Kessel trade, but hasn’t found a fit in the Penguins’ top-six.
Bob McKenzie on the same panel notes once again that the Penguins’ priority is finding that top-six forward (even if that’s not what Galchenyuk will bring back at this point) in order to replace Jake Guentzel. McKenzie also suggests that Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford is not necessarily only looking at the rental market.
- Louis Domingue played in last night’s 6-3 loss for the New Jersey Devils, meaning the Tampa Bay Lightning are getting an extra draft pick. The conditional seventh-round pick sent to Tampa Bay for Domingue earlier this season will now transfer hands thanks to the goaltender playing in his seventh NHL game for the Devils.
- Head coach Claude Julien told reporters including Eric Engels of Sportsnet that the Montreal Canadiens are sending Brendan Gallagher for more testing to see why he is having headaches. It apparently could be related to a virus, but the team will not take a chance if it has any connection to the concussion that he only just returned from.
Three Players Clear Waivers
Monday: According to CapFriendly, all three players have cleared waivers. Holm’s contract can now be terminated.
Sunday: There are three defensemen hitting the NHL waiver wire today, though none should come as much of a surprise. New Jersey’s Matt Tennyson, who cleared waivers earlier this season, has again been waived for the purpose of reassignment to the AHL. Meanwhile, Montreal’s Christian Folin is also on waivers after being a healthy scratch for more than two months. Chicago’s Philip Holm, who has not seen any NHL action this season, has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination.
Folin, 28, played well down the stretch with the Canadiens last season after a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers and did enough to earn a one-year extension with the team this season. Signing a one-way deal to stay in Montreal, many expected that Folin could be a regular piece of the roster this season. However, he has hardly been utilized instead, playing in five games with the Habs, seven games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, and watching most games from the press box. After the Canadiens acquired Marco Scandella last week, it was clear that a re-shuffling of the blue line was in order and Folin is now headed back to the minor, pending safe clearance through waivers.
Tennyson, 29, has been a serviceable defender for the Devils this season, playing in 19 games already, which is equal to his past two seasons combined. Tennyson signed a two-year, two-way contract with New Jersey this summer and was expected to play the role of AHL veteran and deep depth option, but has already provided more value than that. However, he landed on the injured reserve back in early December and the Devils have gotten healthy and learned to play without him in the weeks since. Now healthy, Tennyson will return to the minors, unless another team was impressed enough with his early-season play to claim the affordable depth option.
Holm, 28, returned to North America this season after spending last year in the KHL. The former SHL standout took his time coming over initially, waiting until 2017 before signing with the Vancouver Canucks. Potentially as a result of his unfamiliarity with the NHL style, Holm has struggled to translate his ability. He played in one game with the Canucks early in the 2017-18, zero with the Vegas Golden Knights following a mid-season trade, and zero with the Blackhawks this season. His opportunity and thus his production has been better in Europe, making it far from a shock that he is abandoning his one-year, two-way contract with Chicago early to pursue other options. Expect his contract to be terminated tomorrow once he clears waivers.
Devils Recall Ben Street From Binghamton
- The Devils announced (via Twitter) that they’ve recalled center Ben Street from AHL Binghamton. His presence is needed with winger Jesper Bratt and center Jack Hughes both out for today’s game against Colorado. Street has been productive in the minors this season with 33 points in as many games.
Minor Transactions: 01/01/20
It’s the first day of a new decade and the NHL will celebrate by holding the 2020 Winter Classic in Dallas, Texas. The Cotton Bowl will be the site for the outdoor game between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators, a football stadium already surrounded by tailgating fans of both teams. While the festivities continue, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor moves.
- The Arizona Coyotes have sent Michael Chaput back to the minor leagues after just a day with the NHL club. The 27-year old has been a force for the Tucson Roadrunners this year with ten goals in just 22 games but is still waiting for a chance to get back into some NHL action. The Coyotes also recalled Kyle Capobianco from the AHL, while sending the recently waived Aaron Ness to the AHL.
- After the Toronto Maple Leafs carried just 12 forwards to their game in Minnesota last night, they’ll bring up an extra body for some insurance. Mason Marchment has earned his first NHL call-up. The son of former NHL defenseman Bryan Marchment, the Maple Leafs’ prospect was given a minor league deal back in 2016 and developed slowly by the team over the last several years.
- J.C. Beaudin has been returned to the AHL by the Ottawa Senators, who will host the Florida Panthers tomorrow night. Beaudin has played in 22 games this season for the Senators but has just a single point. Rudolfs Balcers was recalled to take his place on the roster and should soon see his first NHL action of the season after playing in 36 games in 2018-19.
- Louis Domingue is back with the New Jersey Devils, recalled by the team today after getting some playing time in the minor leagues. Gilles Senn has been sent down after appearing in two games.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Dale Weise from the AHL after Brendan Gallagher suffered an injury last night. Weise hasn’t played a game for the Canadiens this season but does have more than 500 games of NHL experience.
- Nicolas Roy was recalled by the Vegas Golden Knights, something that has happened plenty of times this season. Roy has played in just seven games but was bouncing between the AHL and NHL almost every day earlier in the year.
Metropolitan Notes: New Jersey, Andersson, Fines
The New Jersey Devils have played better under new head coach Alain Nasreddine, going 5-6-2 after today’s shootout win against the Boston Bruins. Even if the playoffs are an unlikely goal at this point, they may still be looking at upgrades on the trade market. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column that he believes New Jersey is “considering” some of the excess defensemen that the Buffalo Sabres have been trying to trade.
Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian are the names that have been speculated on most over the last few months, though it’s not clear exactly who the Devils would be after. The Sabres have eight legitimate NHL options, not even including names like Lawrence Pilut and John Gilmour who are currently in the minor leagues.
- Friedman also writes that New York Rangers prospect Lias Andersson is back in Sweden again after recent reports that he was in North America after the holidays. The young forward left the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this month and was subsequently suspended, after requesting a trade out of the organization. Friedman suggests that the Rangers are treating Andersson just like the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars with their own discontented players, still valuing them as “young former first-rounders”—whatever that exactly means—in trade talks.
- Evgeni Malkin earned himself a $5,000 fine for high-sticking Jean-Gabriel Pageau last night, not the first time he’s been disciplined for hitting someone in the head/neck area with his stick. Pageau earned his own $2,500 fine for roughing during the incident.
New Jersey Devils Sign Nikita Okhotyuk
The New Jersey Devils have officially added one of their top young prospects to the team. The Devils have announced the signing 2019 second-round pick Nikita Okhotyuk to his entry-level contract. It is a three-year term for the young defenseman, but financial terms have not been disclosed.
Okhotyuk, 19, is in his third season with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League. The lefty blue liner made the jump to North America in 2017 after being selected in the first round of the CHL Import Draft. A well-regarded prospect who was universally considered a second-round caliber prospect last year, Okhotyuk was considered a great value for the Devils at No. 61.
A player who excels more in the defensive aspects of the game than the offensive ones, Okhotyuk nevertheless appears to be improving in the latter. While his five assists in ten games so far in a season slowed by injuries doesn’t exactly stand out, his scoring pace is substantially higher than his previous two junior campaigns. His hard-working, physical game is a nice contrast to New Jersey’s current NHL defensemen and many of their top prospects as well, potentially putting him in good shape to push for a spot with the big league squad sooner rather than later.
NHL All-Star Selections Announced
Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:
Atlantic Division
G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)
Metropolitan Division
G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Central Division
G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
Pacific Division
G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:
Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner
Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie
Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine
Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty