Minor Transactions: 12/11/23
With a fairly light night on the NHL schedule with just four games on the books, let’s turn our focus to some of the recent minor transactions with an NHL connection.
- Veteran netminder Jussi Olkinuora is on the move as Geneve-Servette of the Swiss league announced that they’ve signed him for the rest of the season. The 33-year-old signed with Detroit for last season but wound up playing exclusively with AHL Grand Rapids before leaving to play in Sweden in early February.
- The Sharks’ farm team has added some depth as the Barracuda have signed winger Kyle Rau for the remainder of the season, per a team release. The 31-year-old has played in 61 career NHL games over parts of six years, most recently in 2021-22 when he suited up in five games with Minnesota. Rau spent last season with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, notching 16 goals and 19 assists in 68 games.
- It didn’t take long for Jackson Cates to find a new place to play as AHL Rockford announced they’ve inked the winger to a PTO. The 26-year-old played in five games with the Flyers last season but had to settle for a training camp tryout, eventually turning into an AHL PTO with the Islanders’ affiliate. He was released from that deal last week after recording just one goal in 12 games.
- That wasn’t the only move Rockford made today as they also acquired blueliner Austin Strand from AHL Chicago. The 26-year-old has seen NHL action in each of the last three seasons, spanning 26 games in total. After becoming a Group Six free agent in the summer, he wound up settling for an AHL contract.
- Flames RFA Carl-Johan Lerby has joined IF Bjorkloven in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, per a team release. The blueliner spent the 2020-21 campaign in Calgary’s system, getting into 22 games with AHL Stockton before returning overseas for 2021-22. Calgary will hold his NHL rights through the 2024-25 season.
Penguins Notes: Sullivan, Rust, Eller, Acciari
With the Penguins struggling through the first two months of the season, some have wondered if a coaching change could be on the horizon. Speaking with reporters today including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, GM Kyle Dubas tried to downplay the idea that one could be coming, giving head coach Mike Sullivan a vote of confidence:
Being with him every day and not only seeing his attention to detail on the systems but his attention to detail with the players and coaching them individually and personally, I think we’re very fortunate to have Mike. Do I think that he’s the right person for this job now and far to the future? I absolutely do. It’s on me to help support the coaching staff as best I can to help us get going in the right direction.
Sullivan is in his ninth season behind the Penguins bench with the team posting a .621 points percentage in that stretch, certainly in the upper echelon. However, they enter play tonight sitting seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 11-12-3, putting them six points out of a playoff spot already.
More from Pittsburgh:
- Rorabaugh also relayed some injury updates in a separate column. Winger Bryan Rust is listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. He last played on Wednesday, leaving that game early. The 31-year-old has been a go-to piece for the Penguins through the first couple of months, notching 10 goals and 10 assists in 22 games, good for fourth on the team in scoring. With Rickard Rakell currently on LTIR (though eligible to return this weekend), Pittsburgh’s depth on the right wing is certainly going to be tested.
- Center Lars Eller didn’t take part in practice today due to an illness but Sullivan indicated that the veteran is expected to be available for Tuesday’s game against Arizona. The 34-year-old is in his first season with Pittsburgh after signing a two-year, $4.9MM contract early in free agency. Eller has three goals and five assists in 26 games so far while logging a little under 15 minutes a night.
- Meanwhile, fellow middleman Noel Acciari took to the ice before practice as he works his way back from a lower-body injury. The veteran has been out for a little more than a week with the issue and is currently on injured reserve but will be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s cleared to return. Acciari has three points and 44 hits in 22 games so far this season.
Erik Gudbranson Receives One-Game Suspension
The NHL has handed down its second suspension within the last hour, announcing (video link) that Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson has received a one-game ban for acting as the aggressor with Panthers winger Nick Cousins on Sunday.
While chasing a loose puck in the third period, Cousins hit Gudbranson from behind, sending Gudbranson face-first into the boards. Cousins was initially given a major penalty for his hit but it was dropped to a minor after review, keeping him in the game. Six minutes later, Gudbranson responded by going after Cousins, throwing him to the ice following a zone entry and then throwing several punches. He received a minor penalty on the play for instigating along with a five-minute fighting major, and a game misconduct.
Gudbranson will miss Thursday’s game against Toronto and will forfeit $20.8K. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
David Perron Receives Six-Game Suspension
The Department of Player Safety has reached its verdict on Red Wings winger David Perron, announcing (video link) that they have handed him a six-game suspension for his cross-check on Senators defenseman Artem Zub on Saturday. The video explains why the suspension was well beyond the norm for a standard cross-check:
This is not a hockey play. This is an intentional strike with a stick made with the purpose of exacting retribution on an opponent. Perron takes several strides toward Zub, and, with sufficient time to choose to engage Zub in a different manner, or at the very least ensure that the cross-check is delivered directly to the body, comes up excessively high with his stick and delivers a shot to Zub’s head with force.
The video also acknowledged that Detroit tried to make the claim that this was not a direct blow to the head but that the league disagrees, saying that “the brunt of the impact of this blow was clearly absorbed by Zub’s head due directly to the actions and choices made by Perron”.
Perron is eligible to appeal the suspension. It would first be heard by Commissioner Gary Bettman. If he was to uphold the suspension, Perron would then be eligible to appeal to an independent arbitrator since the suspension is for more than five games.
Perron will forfeit $148.4K as a result of the suspension with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Barring the suspension being reduced on appeal, he will be eligible to return on December 22nd against Philadelphia.
Wild Assign Dakota Mermis To AHL
The Wild reassigned defenseman Dakota Mermis to AHL Iowa on Monday night, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo. As Russo articulates, the move allows the Wild to bank some cap space as the team doesn’t play again until Thursday. While they no longer have an extra healthy skater on the active roster, the Wild now have a few days to decide whether they want to bring Mermis back up or recall the younger Daemon Hunt to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman in Jonas Brodin‘s weeks-long absence.
Mermis can be assigned directly to Iowa because he’s been on the NHL roster for less than 30 days and played in less than 10 games since last clearing waivers in mid-November. Assigning Mermis to Iowa also extends his waiver-exempt clock, providing Wild GM Bill Guerin with some added roster flexibility.
Minnesota acquired Mermis in free agency in October 2020, and he’s since served as a valuable farmhand who can rather seamlessly step into NHL play. He’s played in a career-high 14 games this season, recording five points and a 48.5% Corsi share at even strength while averaging 15:29 per game. He has one assist in four games with Iowa, although he’s never been a considerable scoring threat at the minor-league level. The nine-year pro has 472 career professional games under his belt – 430 in the AHL, 41 in the NHL and one in the ECHL.
Avalanche Recall Ben Meyers
The Avalanche recalled forward Ben Meyers from AHL Colorado on Monday, per a team announcement. With the Avalanche sitting at 22 out of the maximum 23 players on the active roster before the move, no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Meyers, 25, signed a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K to remain in Denver last summer but did not make the Avalanche’s roster out of camp. The 2022 college free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota responded to the demotion well, posting five goals and 12 points in 17 contests to start the campaign, good enough for third on the team in scoring.
Over the past two seasons with the Avalanche, Meyers appeared in 44 games. He’s logged five goals and a -8 rating while averaging 9:38 per game, but he’s still looking for his first NHL assist. Meyers made six appearances in last year’s First Round elimination at the hands of the Kraken, but he was held of the scoresheet and posted a -2 rating in a paltry 5:30 of ice time per game.
The Avalanche are in an uncharacteristic lull, dropping five of their last six games and falling to third in the Central Division based on points percentage behind the Jets and Stars. Meyers’ recall comes as depth forward Joel Kiviranta is battling an illness, so either Meyers or defenseman-turned-winger Kurtis MacDermid will suit up for fourth-line duties tonight against the Flames. Colorado has struggled to get secondary scoring going this season. Outside of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, only Valeri Nichushkin is scoring at a clip higher than 0.5 points per game.
Atlantic Notes: Tuch, Samuelsson, McAvoy, Zacha, Lagesson
Sabres head coach Don Granato informed reporters today that winger Alex Tuch won’t play tonight against the Coyotes as he remains out with a lower-body injury, although he could return for Wednesday’s game against the Avalanche (via Heather Engel of NHL.com). Tuch is on injured reserve and has missed the last three games with the injury, which he sustained on December 3 against the Predators. He is now eligible to come off injured reserve at any time after satisfying the minimum seven-day absence.
Tuch has dealt with two injury-related absences of at least three games this season, the other being an upper-body injury that sidelined him for three games in mid-November. When in the lineup, his production has lagged from last season’s 1.07 points-per-game pace, posting eight goals and 17 points with a -4 rating and 52.7% Corsi share at even strength in 22 games. The Sabres have gone 2-3-1 without Tuch in the lineup and 9-11-2 with him.
Buffalo could be without an additional regular tonight, as Granato also said defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is questionable against the Coyotes after leaving today’s practice early due to soreness. Samuelsson, who is in the first season of a seven-year, $30MM extension, missed three games with a lower-body injury in early November and was a game-time decision with an upper-body injury late last month after leaving a November 25 contest against the Devils prematurely. He’s once again leveraged heavy minutes for the Sabres, averaging over 20 minutes per game for a third consecutive season. He’s recorded a goal and two assists along with a -2 rating in 25 games, and his 49.6% even strength Corsi share is a career-high.
More from around the Atlantic Division:
- Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy didn’t practice today and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe. McAvoy missed Saturday’s win over the Coyotes after sustaining the injury in Thursday’s game against the Sabres. This is the second time he’s been held out of the lineup this season, the first being a four-game suspension in early November for a check to the head of Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. While McAvoy’s 0.81 points per game this season are the best of his career, he’s taken a step back defensively, posting a 51% Corsi share at even strength and a -4 rating, both career lows. Ryan also relays word from Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery that center Pavel Zacha remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and he, along with McAvoy, is questionable for Wednesday’s contest against his former team, the Devils. New Jersey’s sixth-overall pick in 2015, Zacha was sent to the Bruins in a one-for-one swap for Erik Haula in July 2022 and has since assumed a top-six role, posting 76 points in 108 games over the past two seasons while averaging 16:37 per game. Zacha took just eight shifts in Saturday’s game against the Coyotes before exiting.
- Maple Leafs defenseman William Lagesson will be a game-time decision tonight against the Islanders due to illness but is likely to play, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to reporters (via David Alter of The Hockey News). It’s been a tidy season for Lagesson so far, who’s been a solid injury fill-in for players such as Mark Giordano, Timothy Liljegren and Jake McCabe, who have missed significant time this season on Toronto’s back end. Signed to provide a reliable call-up option with a handful of NHL games under his belt, Lagesson has logged one assist in 14 games this season, recording a -1 rating and 49.4% even-strength Corsi share while averaging 15 minutes per game. Across 74 games with the Maple Leafs, Oilers and Canadiens dating back to the 2019-20 season, the 27-year-old is still looking for his first NHL goal.
Sharks Reassign Henry Thrun
Dec. 11: The Sharks reassigned Thrun to AHL San Jose on Monday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports. Thrun logged a -1 rating, two penalty minutes and two shots on goal in 16:16 of ice time against the Golden Knights in last night’s shootout loss.
Dec. 9: One of San Jose’s top defensive prospects is set to get another look at the NHL level as the Sharks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled blueliner Henry Thrun from AHL San Jose.
The 22-year-old was originally drafted by Anaheim but after he indicated to them that he wouldn’t sign with them, the Ducks then turned around and traded Thrun’s rights to San Jose. He quickly signed with his season at Harvard having ended and got into eight games down the stretch where he didn’t look out of place, notching two assists while logging just shy of 20 minutes a night.
That gave Thrun seemingly an inside edge on a roster spot going into training camp and while he did open up the season with the Sharks, it was short-lived as he was sent down a week into the season despite picking up a pair of assists in his two appearances. Since then, he has been with the Barracuda where he has played in 18 games, collecting a goal with five helpers.
With the recall, San Jose now has a full 23-player roster. Notably, nine of those are blueliners although Jacob MacDonald has been lining up as a winger more recently. Even so, Thrun might have to bide his time before getting back into the Sharks lineup.
Lightning Assign Cole Koepke To Minors
The Lightning reassigned forward Cole Koepke to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch on Monday, per a team release. Koepke, who has been on the Lightning’s roster for nearly a month, had been a healthy scratch in four of the last five games.
Head coach Jon Cooper utilized Koepke extremely sparingly since his November recall, never icing him for more than ten minutes in any of his eight appearances this season. The 25-year-old winger managed to record two assists and seven shots on goal nonetheless after recording six points in 11 games with Syracuse to begin the season.
A 2018 sixth-round pick, Koepke was a surprise inclusion on the Lightning’s opening-night roster last season after spending all of 2021-22 in the minors. After scoring just once in 17 contests, however, the Lightning returned Koepke to Syracuse in December, where he remained for the balance of the season.
His offensive production in Syracuse disappointed the rest of the day, recording seven goals and 19 points in 52 games despite scoring 20 goals the season before. Despite that, the Lightning decided to extend Koepke before his contract expired last summer, signing him to a one-year, two-way deal with a guaranteed salary of $150K in June.
Koepke’s return to the minors suggests captain Steven Stamkos could be able to return from an illness tomorrow against the Canucks. The Lightning dressed 11 forwards (including Koepke) and seven defensemen in their last game, holding Stamkos out of the lineup and making enforcer Austin Watson a healthy scratch.
The Minnesota-born winger will be eligible for salary arbitration if he reaches restricted free agency next summer.
Blackhawks Place Boris Katchouk On Waivers
12/12: Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that Katchouk has successfully cleared waivers, and will report to Rockford.
12/11: The Blackhawks placed winger Boris Katchouk on waivers Monday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Rockford, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Katchouk, 25, has been a healthy scratch in four straight games. His last appearance came on December 3 against the Wild, in which he registered a -1 rating and one shot on goal in 12:55 of ice time.
As The Athletic’s Scott Powers notes, forwards Joey Anderson and Cole Guttman have impressed the team since they recalled them from Rockford around Thanksgiving, and they’ve both surpassed Katchouk on the team’s internal depth chart. While there’s no pending injured reserve activation forcing the Blackhawks to clear a roster spot, the organization would rather Katchouk see consistent game action in the minors rather than have him sit in the press box in the NHL.
Drafted 44th overall by the Lightning in 2016, Katchouk spent nearly six years in Tampa Bay before the Blackhawks acquired him as part of the deal that sent Brandon Hagel to the Sunshine State in 2022. Katchouk struggled immediately after the swap, logging just one goal and a -10 rating in 21 contests with Chicago to close out the campaign.
His numbers improved in the following season, but he’s still provided marginal offense in a replaceable bottom-six role. In 96 total contests with Chicago since the trade, Katchouk has eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points, and a -18 rating while averaging 11:40 per game. He has, however, posted solid possession metrics dating back to last season, including a relative Corsi mark of 3.3% at even strength in 2022-23, despite seeing primarily defensive zone usage.
It’s unlikely he’ll ever reach the scoring potential he flashed by posting over a point-per-game in the minors in the Lightning organization in 2020-21, but he is a high-energy player who should end up back in the league at some point if he passes through waivers unclaimed. This season, Katchouk has two goals and two assists, along with a +2 rating, in 17 contests with Chicago. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $2.275MM deal carrying a $758,333 cap hit and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.