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New Jersey Devils Place Eddie Lack On Waivers

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Friday: Lack has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Thursday: The New Jersey Devils had been carrying three goaltenders on their roster since Cory Schneider returned from his hip injury, as even though Eddie Lack was on a conditioning stint he still counted towards the 23-man group. Now they’ve dealt with that situation, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Lack has been placed on waivers.

Lack, 30, never did get into a game for the Devils this season as Keith Kinkaid was instead given the starting role. The veteran backup has bounced around the last few years, and played in just eight games over the last two seasons. That’s a far cry from the 2014-15 campaign when he went 18-13-4 for the Vancouver Canucks and was among the league leaders with a .921 save percentage. Lack at that point looked like a goaltender who would lock down an NHL crease for years to come, but has since seen his performance decline rapidly.

There are teams who could take a chance on the 6’4″ goaltender though, as they deal with injuries or inconsistency from their own starters. Los Angeles, Arizona, Ottawa and others could all potentially use a veteran netminder to give them some more experience in the crease, and with Lack’s $650K salary he would cost just as much or less than their current options. Still, there have been other goaltenders like Anton Forsberg and Mike Condon who have passed through unscathed already this season for one reason or another, and Lack may experience the same. If he does, he’ll be solid depth for the Devils at the minor league level.

Jesper Bratt To Return On Friday

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  • New Jersey will have winger Jesper Bratt back in the lineup tomorrow against Toronto, reports Abbey Mastracco of the Bergen Record. He has missed the entire season due to a broken jaw.  The 20-year-old surprised many by making the Devils last season but he wound up having a strong rookie year, tallying 35 points in 74 games.  Meanwhile, winger Stefan Noesen and defenseman Steven Santini participated in practice but aren’t expected to be taken off IR.  As the team has a full roster (Bratt will be activated into Eddie Lack’s soon-to-be-opened slot), some more movement is likely on the way.

Eastern Notes: Zacha, Dahlin, Neuvirth, Hagg, Martin

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While there were a number of people that were shocked when the New Jersey Devils assigned Pavel Zacha to Binghamton of the AHL, head coach John Hynes felt that the team needed to do something that would have an impact on the 21-year-old first-rounder. Despite having already played 150 NHL games in his career, Zacha was pointless in 10 games and Hynes felt just scratching him wasn’t going to be enough to spark him, according to Chris Ryan of NJ.com.

“To scratch him one game and put him back in, we’re still not in a position right now where we could rely on him in key situations, and that’s what we need from him,” Hynes said. “We think it’s important that it’s not, ’Hey, sit in the stands for one game and watch.’ That is effective in some situations, but we need him to go down and play, and play a lot of minutes and play in situations and earn his confidence back and get his game back.”

The sixth-overall pick in 2015, Zacha hasn’t developed into the franchise player the team thought they were getting when they drafted him. He has so far only managed to total eight goals in two straight seasons, suggesting the team may have needed to give him time in the AHL before bringing him to the NHL. Zacha, who has played in just three AHL games in his career, needs to have time to regain his confidence while playing lots of minutes, something that he wasn’t going to get with the Devils.

  • While there is no official word on the injury, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who was forced to leave Saturday’s game against Ottawa in the second period after taking a shot off his leg, is expected to travel with the team to New York, suggesting that his injury may not be too serious, according to the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. There is swelling, which means the team won’t be able to determine his status until tomorrow, according to The Athletic’s Jon Vogl. The team plays the Rangers on Sunday.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced that goaltender Michal Neuvirth has left the team and returned to Philadelphia to be checked out by doctors and could soon find himself back on injured reserve. The 30-year-old injury-prone goalie played in one game since being recalled from a conditioning stint on Oct. 25th, but allowed six goals in that lone start to the Islanders two days later, and now currently holds a .727 save percentage.
  • Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that one interesting development in Philadelphia is the offensive improvement surrounding Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg. The 23-year-old sophomore currently leads all defenseman, including Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov, with seven points (just two points shy of his totals last year). The scribe says that Hagg has seemed more comfortable joining the rush and going deeper into the offensive zone than he was willing last season.
  • New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said fourth-line forward Matt Martin remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross. The 29-year-old has combined with Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas to form an impressive energy line for the Islanders. Martin already has equaled last year’s goal total of three in just 11 games.

New Jersey Places Noesen On Injured Reserve; Activates Stafford

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The New Jersey Devils announced that they have placed forward Stefan Noesen on injured reserve, with an upper-body injury which he suffered in a game Tuesday against Tampa Bay. The team also announced that they have activated forward Drew Stafford to take Noesen’s place on the team’s 23-man roster.

Noesen was a key player in the team’s surprise run into the playoffs after he put up a career high in goals and assists, with 13 goals and 14 assists on the season. He played a great role, moving from line to line last year offering the team positive possession numbers. However, he hasn’t had as much success so far this year with just a goal and an assist, numbers that he put up in the first two games of the season. He has since posted zero points in his last seven appearances and was scratched on Thursday. The 25-year-old will miss at least two games and could be eligible to return on Tuesday at Ottawa.

Stafford is expected to be in today’s lineup, but has just appeared in two games for the Devils this season. The 33-year-old had eight goals and 15 points last season for New Jersey. He was out with an upper body injury and placed on injured reserve on Oct. 23. He has averaged just 9:06 in ATOI so far in the two games he’s played.

New Jersey Devils Send Pavel Zacha To AHL

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The New Jersey Devils have reacted to their loss at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings last night by making several roster changes. Pavel Zacha and Kevin Rooney have been sent to the minor leagues, replaced by Kurtis Gabriel and Brett Seney.

Zacha, 21, is the surprising name here as he hasn’t played a game in the minor leagues for the Devils since the end of the 2015-16 season. In fact he’s played 149 NHL games since then, plus five playoff contests last spring. The sixth-overall pick in 2015, Zach looked like he may be in line for a breakout season this year but has struggled mightily in the offensive end through ten games. Scoreless, he has only generated ten shots on goal during that time and obviously needed a change of some sort. Though many expected him to just sit for a few games, heading down to the AHL is likely an even better move for his career development. Zacha needs to rediscover the offensive touch he had in junior, and the AHL is the only place he’ll be able to experience that.

There’s no telling how long Zacha will be with Binghamton, but in the meantime Seney will try to make an impression on the organization. An undersized forward that fell all the way to the sixth round in 2015—his second year of draft eligibility—he nevertheless found plenty of success at the collegiate level and has 18 points through his first 22 games in the AHL since signing last spring. If he can find anywhere near that kind of production at the NHL level, the Devils will have another offensive weapon to roll out alongside the rest of their young roster.

Minor Transactions: 10/29/18

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Just two games on the schedule around the league tonight, which will give teams ample time to make roster moves and get ready for this week. As always, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor transactions.

Jordan Greenway, John Quenneville Assigned To AHL

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The Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils have made some tough decisions with regards to two budding prospects, assigning Jordan Greenway and John Quenneville back to the AHL. Both players suited up last night for their respective teams, but will now be headed to the minor leagues. Greenway will play just two games in the AHL according to Michael Russo of The Athletic,  as Joel Eriksson Ek has returned to full practice for the Wild and is expected to take his spot in the lineup until their upcoming road trip. Quenneville, who played more than 13 minutes last night for the Devils, has already bounced up and down this season and may continue to do so until he shows some improved consistency at the NHL level.

Greenway is an important prospect for the Wild given his physicality and offensive upside, but hasn’t been able to show much of the latter yet at the NHL level. With just two points in his first 15 NHL games, he’ll get a chance to boost his confidence at the lower level and get back to what made him so effective at Boston University and on the international stage. The 6’6″ forward scored 92 points in 112 games for BU, and competed at the World Junior Championship, World Championship and Olympics for Team USA in the span of just over a year. He was an integral part of the gold medal-winning 2017 World Junior squad, scoring eight points in seven games alongside star talents like Clayton Keller and Charlie McAvoy. If he can ever find that level of play in the NHL, the Wild will have another legitimate power forward option to plug into the lineup. For now, he needs to find his footing again.

For Quenneville, there’s not nearly as much rope left on his “top prospect” status. The 30th overall pick in 2014, he now has two full minor league seasons under his belt and has failed to show much at the NHL level in several different stints with the Devils. Through 19 games spread over the last three years, he’s recorded just four points. There is huge potential still in Quenneville, who possesses excellent puck skills and a big enough frame to battle physically, but he needs to show it before he starts being passed over on the depth chart in New Jersey. He’ll turn 23 this season, and is still looking for a way to crack an organization that has shown it is more than willing to give young players a chance.

Minor Transactions: 10/23/18

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While we wait for all the action tonight around the NHL, PHR will be right here keeping track of all the day’s minor moves.

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Christian Jaros as expected, given that Cody Ceci and Ben Harpur aren’t ready to suit up tonight. The team will welcome the Boston Bruins to town and try to make another statement this season by proving that they’re not the league’s doormat. The Senators are 4-2-1 this season and look much better than many expected, but will have to keep it up if they’re to make any real noise in the playoff race later in the year.
  • The New Jersey Devils have moved Ben Lovejoy and Drew Stafford to injured reserve, while recalling Eric Gryba and John Quenneville from the minor leagues. The team is already dealing with several injuries, and will now have to rely on their minor league depth to keep them competitive. Quenneville especially needs to make an impact, as he’s managed to play in just 18 NHL games so far in his career and hasn’t recorded a point since the 2016-17 season.
  • Nick Ritchie has been activated from his non-roster designation, and will be in the lineup for the Anaheim Ducks tonight. Ritchie was the second last RFA to sign this year, and eventually settled on a three-year $4.6MM deal. His presence is needed desperately as the Ducks look for a way to score while several key forwards remain on injured reserve.
  • Sammy Blais has been sent down to the minor leagues by the St. Louis Blues, a surprising move after the young forward played in eight games to start the year. Blais hadn’t scored yet and had seen his ice time reduced significantly over the last few games, but with no corresponding move it’s unclear what the plan is for the Blues. Perhaps the team is just using the days between games as a cost-saving measure, or another player will be recalled before Thursday’s game.
  • Brock Boeser is out with a sore groin and has been listed as day-to-day for the Vancouver Canucks, which means Darren Archibald is on his way up to the team to fill his spot. Archibald certainly can’t fill Boeser’s skates completely, but was relatively effective last season in the 27 games he played for the Canucks. The 28-year old forward has six points in eight games this season for Utica, and will try to continue that production at the NHL level if he’s inserted into the lineup.
  • Filip Hronek will be assigned to the minor leagues soon, given Mike Green’s imminent return for the Detroit Red Wings. Hronek has three points in six games this season but will have to continue his season in the AHL for now. The young defenseman is oozing with upside, but will wait for his next opportunity at the NHL while working on his penalty killing ability.
  • Alex Formenton has been activated from injured reserve by the Ottawa Senators, indicating that his concussion symptoms have subsided and he’s ready to get back into game action. The speedy forward has been a pleasant surprise for the team this season, showing his willingness to engage physically while also leaning on his skating ability to create offense.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Nicolas Roy, and could give him his first opportunity of the 2018-19 season. Roy has just a single NHL game under his belt since being selected 96th overall in 2015, but has become a dangerous two-way player at the minor league level. With five goals and seven points in his first six games this season and a 38-point rookie campaign in 2017-18, the 6’4″ forward already has shown more offensive touch than many expected when he was drafted.

New Jersey Devils Recall Egor Yakovlev

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After a promising start to the season the New Jersey Devils have dropped back to back games against the Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers, and will now welcome the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Nashville Predators to town on Thursday night. With that in mind, the team has recalled former KHL defenseman Egor Yakovlev from the minor leagues. It didn’t take long for Yakovlev to make an impact with the organization, recording seven assists in his first seven AHL contests including two in his very first game.

Signed last May to a one-year, entry-level contract, Yakovlev is making his North American debut after playing for the last six seasons in the KHL. The mobile defenseman loves to skate the puck out of trouble and found success for years in the KHL and internationally until seeing his ice time drop dramatically in 2017-18 with SKA St. Petersburg. That’s a common occurrence for a player who has indicated he’s on his way to North America, though there’s no confirmation he was sat for that reason.

If he does get into the lineup, the 27-year old will fit in with a defense corps that moves the puck extremely quickly and tries to create tempo all over the ice. The team did have seven other defensemen, but has placed Steven Santini on injured reserve after suffering a broken jaw this weekend when a puck struck him in the face. The club has also recalled forward Kevin Rooney, who had been sent down in a paper transaction yesterday.

Central Notes: Dano, Kamenev, Blackhawks, Bouwmeester

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It’s been six days since winger Marko Dano was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche and the 23-year-old forward finally got an opportunity to practice with the team Sunday, but no one is quite sure when he may make his Avalanche debut, but it could come as early as Monday, according to NHL.com’s Callie Parmele.

Dano already has some familiarity with the team, especially with head coach Jared Bednar and assistant coach Nolan Pratt, who both were on the Springfield Falcons coaching staff during the 2013-14 season when Dano made his North American debut in the AHL for the team’s final 10 games. Bednar was promoted to head coach the following year where he had even more time with Dano.

“We had a good run in Springfield, and it’s always good when you know the coach,” Dano said of his relationship with Bednar. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time, and I am excited to work with him and I appreciate the chance they have given to me.”

  • Still with the Avalanche, the team likes what it sees in Vladislav Kamenev, who received the most ice time of his career on Thursday when he skated 12:36 against the New Jersey Devils. Although he hasn’t turned that extra time into offense (he has no points in five games this season), he is building trust in his head coach. “We feel like from watching him work in practice in that area, we can give him those minutes,” Bednar said Friday. “We trust him with those minutes. He’s done a nice job in the games so far. I think he’s getting better and better as he feels more comfortable and feels like he belongs, which is normal. I just want him to keep pushing himself and try and be a difference maker every night.”
  • While Chicago Blackhawks Stan Bowman hardly can admit victory in his offseason trade a year ago when he traded Artemi Panarin to Columbus for Brandon Saad and Anton Forsberg, he knew that the Panarin’s contract situation would be a problem for the Blackhawks too had they chosen to hold onto him, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription required), who analyzes who won last year’s trade. Saad has struggled in his return to Chicago and is struggling on the bottom-six, while Forsberg hasn’t fared any better in net for the team, but Bowman knew there were going to be problems with Panarin, who has shown little to no interest in signing an extension in Columbus and has put the team in a tough position as he plays out the final year of his contract while they are trying to compete for a playoff spot. “They’re in a tough spot now,” Bowman told The Athletic on Saturday night. “What do you do with him? I saw that coming as a challenge.”
  • Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that considering how well the St. Louis Blues defense played on Saturday, he doubts whether the team will put defenseman Jay Bouwmeester back on the ice for Monday’s game against Winnipeg. The veteran was scratched for the first time in his career Saturday as his play hasn’t been up to his usual standards. The Blues put forth one of the best games of the season, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1.

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