Snapshots: Carlsson, Petry, Devils
When the Anaheim Ducks made a somewhat unexpected choice at the 2023 NHL draft to select Swedish pivot Leo Carlsson over Hobey Baker winner Adam Fantilli, many had circled today as a date to watch on the NHL calendar. That’s because Carlsson’s Ducks are set to play Fantilli’s Blue Jackets tonight, and with both players likely to be in the NHL today’s contest was viewed to be the first chance to watch the two players go head-to-head.
Fans will have to wait to get that chance, though, as Ducks team reporter Aly Lozoff confirms that Carlsson will not dress for today’s game. Carlsson began this season dealing with an injury and the Ducks have reportedly been attempting to “ease” Carlsson into the rigors of the NHL schedule. That means he’ll sit tonight, and as a result, fans will have to wait until the Blue Jackets travel to Orange County in February to get the chance to see Carlsson and Fantilli face off.
- Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry did not skate this morning and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, according to Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde. Petry, 35, was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins (via the Montreal Canadiens) this offseason and has thus far skated in four games for the Red Wings. The Red Wings’ defensive depth is an area of strength, so while Petry’s injury is definitely unfortunate, the Red Wings are well-equipped to survive in his absence.
- As relayed by Devils team reporter Sam Kasan, forwards Erik Haula and Nico Hischier “will be able to play” in tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, according to head coach Lindy Ruff. Hischier, the Devils’ captain, missed the later stages of the Devils’ last game with an upper-body injury, while Haula hasn’t appeared in the lineup since October 16th. With Tomáš Nosek out with an injury, these two players returning to health is an important development in helping the Devils maintain their impressive strength at the center position.
Minor Transactions: 10/24/23
It’s the busiest day in the world of hockey in recent memory. Every one of the NHL’s 32 member clubs play tonight as part of the NHL’s “Frozen Frenzy” coverage. In addition to the NHL, teams in the SHL, Liiga, Swiss NL, KHL, AHL, and more are also playing today.
There are far more hours of competitive pro hockey on offer today than anyone could realistically expect to keep up with, though that’s not to say many won’t try. Just as many fans will be looking to keep track of all the hockey on the schedule today, we’ll keep track of all the notable transactions from minor and overseas leagues here.
- Former AHL All-Star Andy Welinski has signed a PTO with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, according to a team announcement. Welinski, 30, split last season between the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and Rockford IceHogs, scoring 19 points in 54 games. The injury situation facing the Minnesota Wild’s blueliners (Jared Spurgeon and Alex Goligoski are injured) has had a ripple effect for Iowa, as two of its more important defenders (Daemon Hunt, Dakota Mermis) have been called up to the NHL. Welinski will provide some cover for the Wild in the midst of these injury issues, offering nearly 300 games of AHL experience. His experience looks needed at this moment, as Iowa has surrendered the second-most goals against in the AHL so far this season and has won just one of its first four games. Seeing as the development of top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt is a major priority for Iowa this season, Welinski could even have a chance to earn a full-time AHL contract if he plays well, as Iowa may not want to let a quality defensive player go after he settles into their lineup.
- Rihards Bukarts, a 27-year-old forward and hero of Latvia’s historic bronze medal-winning run at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, has signed in Switzerland. The National League’s EHC Biel-Bienne have signed Bukarts to a contract set to run through the end of January. Citing injury issues, Biel-Bienne have added Bukarts to reinforce an offensive attack that has sputtered so far this season, scoring the third-fewest goals in league play. Bukarts, once the top rookie goal scorer in the WHL for the Brandon Wheat Kings, played for Klagenfurt in the ICEHL last season and scored 25 points in 28 games.
- TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga have signed netminder Julius Pohjanoksa to a contract valid through November 4th. Starting goalie, former Pittsburgh Penguins farmhand Filip Lindberg, is currently dealing with an illness and backup Eetu Anttila is injured, prompting the need for an extra body in net. Pohjanoksa has played in 17 games total for TPS, most of them coming in 2019-20. He spent last season in Finland’s second division, Mestis, posting a .909 save percentage in 18 games for TUTO Turku.
- Another team is making moves in net: the EIHL’s Cardiff Devils. The Welsh squad, who compete in the EIHL, the top tier of professional hockey in the United Kingdom, have parted ways with former Carolina Hurricanes prospect Callum Booth and replaced him with former New York Rangers prospect Tyler Wall. Booth, 26, signed in Wales after bouncing between three teams last season, but didn’t end up skating in any league games for the Devils. As for Wall, the 25-year-old starred at UMass-Lowell during his college hockey days. As a professional, Wall has struggled to see the ice but last season finally got a chance to be a full-time member of a tandem. He posted a solid .912 save percentage for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, posting a 22-10-1 record in the process. Wall will compete with longtime Devils goalie and three-time EIHL Netminder of the Year Ben Bowns for starts in Cardiff.
- 23-year-old German-Swedish forward Magnus Eisenmenger has signed a one-year contract with AIK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second tier of pro hockey. Eisenmenger is a defensive center at heart, having led his peers in face-off percentage playing in Sweden’s U-18 level. He cut his teeth in professional hockey with the Frankfurt Lions, then of the German second-tier DEL2, before breaking into the DEL full-time with the Augsburg Panthers in 2021-22. Last season, Eisenmenger split his season between the Lions in the DEL and the Allsvenskan’s Almtuna IS. While he’s not much of a scorer, (Eisenmenger has just three points in 20 career Allsvenskan games, and 13 points in 87 DEL games) this signing could help bolster AIK’s forward depth in the midst of some injury issues, and help them patch up a team defense that has surrendered the seventh-most goals in league play.
- Polish-Geman defenseman Arkadiusz Dziambor has signed a contract with the DEL’s Schwenninger Wild Wings. Dziambor is a 21-year-old left-shot defenseman with above-average size at six-foot-two, nearly 200 pounds. Despite his young age, Dziambor already has 91 career DEL games under his belt, mostly coming with Adler Mannheim between 2021 and 2023. Dziambor even got to represent Mannheim in eight Champions Hockey League contests, though he didn’t make Mannheim’s squad for this season. So far this year he’s played on loan with the DEL2’s Bietigheim Steelers, but now with this signing, he’ll return to Germany’s top league with the Wild Wings.
- Big changes have hit the historic Romanian club SC Csíkszereda. The 15-time Romanian Cup champions have gotten off to a horrific start in the Erste Liga, a league comprising of Hungarian and Romanian pro teams. The club has lost all of its first 10 games and has surrendered 53 goals against, with the next-highest team having surrendered just 32. As a result, the team has released head coach Bradley Gratton, as well as two import players: Fabrizio Ricci and Brandon McNally. Gratton has coached across Europe and once in the ECHL, including last season with the AlpsHL’s Meran/Merano. Ricci, 28, is the former captain of the EIHL’s Dundee Stars and former ECHL All-Star who scored six points in seven games in Romania. McNally, 31, is a former ECHL power forward who scored three points in seven games for Csíkszereda. The trio will now continue their careers elsewhere as the club they leave behind looks to turn around what has so far been a dreadful campaign.
- Former New York Rangers prospect Dávid Skokan has announced his retirement on social media today. The 34-year-old was a 2007 seventh-round pick of the New York Rangers who played three total seasons of hockey in North America, all in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Oceanic. Skokan had a long and successful career in Europe, winning a Slovak Extraliga title in 2011-12 and Slovak Extraliga All-Star honors in 2020-21, after a scored 52 points in 49 games for HK Poprad. Skokan also had the honor of representing his country internationally over the course of his career, earning Slovakia caps at three IIHF Men’s World Junior Championship tournaments and two IIHF Men’s World Championships.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Dylan Coghlan
The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Dylan Coghlan from his loan at the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
With defenseman Brett Pesce still dealing with a lower-body injury, the addition of Coghlan gives head coach Rod Brind’Amour an additional option as he formulates his defensive lineup for tonight’s contest against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Coghlan, 25, is an undrafted defenseman who arrived in Carolina as part of the Max Pacioretty trade from the summer of 2022. A late bloomer, Coghlan had authored an impressive rookie season as a professional player. He turned himself into a full-time NHLer with the Vegas Golden Knights by 2020-21, only two years removed from when he was playing in the WHL.
Coghlan hasn’t been able to make as much of a dent in Carolina’s defensive depth chart as he’s struggled with injuries. Coghlan played in a total of just 22 games last season, 17 in the NHL and five in the AHL. So far this season, Coghlan has played exclusively in the AHL and registered two points in five games.
The six-foot-two right-shot blueliner isn’t likely to draw into the Hurricanes’ regular lineup. That being said, Tony DeAngelo has struggled so far this season, with his pairing alongside Dmitry Orlov looking particularly dreadful at times. The Hurricanes have let in far more goals to start the season than anyone could have expected them to.
DeAngelo, who turned 28 today, is an exceptional offensive defenseman. But he tends to struggle immensely with the defensive side of the game, and his deficiencies in that area have been exposed paired with Orlov so far this season.
Should the Hurricanes want to offer Orlov (whom they paid a $7.75MM AAV this past summer) some additional insulation and defensive support, it’s possible they call on Coghlan to replace DeAngelo in the lineup.
Taylor Hall Suffers Setback, Out Week-To-Week
10/24/23: According to Roumeliotis, the Blackhawks have officially placed Hall on injured reserve due to his shoulder injury. The placement is retroactive to October 21st.
10/23/23: After attempting to return from a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the month, Blackhawks winger Taylor Hall will now be on the shelf longer term. Head coach Luke Richardson told reporters today, including NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, that Hall will be out for “a bit” after aggravating the injury and is listed as week-to-week.
Hall sustained the injury in an October 11 game against the Bruins after he was checked hard by Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo. Initially listed as week-to-week after exiting the lineup, Hall missed just one game before returning to the lineup a week ago Monday against the Maple Leafs. After seeing his ice time dip in the following two contests and playing just 12:39 against the Golden Knights on Saturday, it was determined Hall would need a longer recovery period.
The Blackhawks acquired the final two seasons of Hall’s four-year, $24MM contract from the Bruins this summer in a trade that gave the Bruins some much-needed salary cap relief. It also gave Chicago a skilled, veteran player drafted first overall many moons ago, making him an ideal linemate and mentor for 2023 first-overall selection Connor Bedard. While Bedard has been as good as can be expected so far this year, Hall has logged just two assists in five games while fighting the injury. The entire team has struggled to control possession, and Hall is no different, posting a Corsi share of 41.2% at even strength.
With Hall out of the lineup, Bedard is projected to get some new linemates. He’ll be flanked by seasoned veterans on both sides in Tyler Johnson and Nick Foligno, both of whom have three points in six contests this year. Johnson leads the team in goals with three in the early going.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Gustav Lindström On Emergency Basis
The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defenseman Gustav Lindström from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, on an emergency basis.
The move results from the fact that veteran blueliner David Savard is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. It’s more bad injury news for the Canadiens early this season, who have lost a player to injury in three out of their five total games played.
Lindström, 25, was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in this past summer’s Jeff Petry trade. He didn’t make the Canadiens season-opening roster and cleared waivers, allowing him to begin his season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket.
A defense-first blueliner, Lindström brings decent size (he’s six-foot-two, nearly 200 pounds) to the Canadiens’ back end as well as 128 games of NHL experience.
Should he slot into Savard’s spot in the team’s lineup tonight, those 128 games would actually make Lindström the second-most experienced Canadiens defenseman on the ice behind veteran Mike Matheson.
While he’s undoubtedly a downgrade from what Savard has provided the Canadiens thusfar, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Lindström is capable of providing head coach Martin St. Louis with capable minutes at the NHL level.
The key for the Canadiens may be figuring out the most effective way to utilize Lindström, as its unlikely he’ll be in a position to succeed if he’s asked to play the heavy workload Savard typically shoulders.
Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard, Loan Clay Stevenson To AHL
The Capitals announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from the AHL’s Hershey Bears and returned netminder Clay Stevenson to Hershey in a corresponding transaction.
This amounts to a backup swap behind starter Darcy Kuemper while normal backup Charlie Lindgren remains on IR. He is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and has not played since starting the team’s season opener while Kuemper was away on paternal leave.
Shepard, who guided Hershey to a Calder Cup championship last season, would have been Washington’s first recall choice knowing Lindgren would be out for a while. However, Shepard himself was sidelined with an illness – now that he’s healthy, he finds himself on Washington’s roster, likely until Lindgren can return. The 27-year-old was named MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs last season after posting a .914 SV%, 2.27 GAA and three shutouts in 20 contests. All that came in his first season as a full-time AHL netminder, spending the majority of the two previous seasons with Washington’s ECHL affiliate in South Carolina. The two-time national champion with the University of Minnesota-Duluth is undefeated with Hershey this season, going 2-0-0 with a 2.88 GAA and.885 SV%. If he makes an appearance for the Caps on this recall, it will be his NHL debut.
Stevenson, 24, made back-to-back starts in Hershey’s first two contests of the season while Shepard was on the shelf. He, too, has yet to make an NHL appearance, with Kuemper starting all three games in Lindgren’s absence. He will serve as the Bears’ starter while Shepard is up on the NHL roster.
Dunc Wilson Passes Away
Inaugural Vancouver Canucks starting netminder Dunc Wilson has passed away at age 75, the NHL Alumni Association announced yesterday evening.
Born in Toronto, Wilson made his NHL debut in the 1969-70 campaign, stopping 23 of 26 shots in a lone appearance for the Flyers. The 22-year-old would then be a Canucks expansion draft selection when they entered the league in 1970, splitting crease duties evenly with 37-year-old Charlie Hodge in the franchise’s first season. He took over as the full-time starter for Vancouver in 1971-72, recording the first shutout in franchise history and playing in a career-high 53 games. He remained in Vancouver through 1973, after which he served in backup roles for the Maple Leafs and Rangers through much of the mid-1970s. Just prior to the 1976-77 season, Wilson was traded from New York to the Penguins, where he would post a career-high 18 wins, .906 SV%, 2.95 GAA, and five shutouts, placing him fourth in All-Star team voting among netminders.
Wilson was transferred back to the Canucks early in the 1978-79 campaign, which would be his last playing pro hockey. It was a premature end, in part due to an extensive surgery required to treat skin cancer. Wilson sued the Canucks soon after his retirement, alleging improper treatment of the original mole that caused the cancer, but was unsuccessful.
Like many goalies, Wilson had quite the personality – often described as “rebellious,” he didn’t let his 5-foot-11 frame stop him from appearing in nearly 300 NHL contests, even if smaller goalies were the norm in his playing days. PHR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
Latest On Conor Garland
Just before the start of the season, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that the Vancouver Canucks had given forward Conor Garland and his agency full freedom to find a suitable trade partner for the winger. Unfortunately, for most teams at this time of year, especially teams that are destined for a postseason run at the conclusion of the season, cap space is hard to come by, especially to fit in Garland’s $4.95MM until 2025-26.
However, nearly a week ago, Kevin Weekes of ESPN reported that the Canucks would be willing to retain as high as 30% of Garland’s salary for the next three seasons, meaning any acquiring team would only owe him approximately $3.465MM in total salary. Realistically speaking, even with the hypothetical retention of Garland’s salary, there are only seven teams with enough cap space to take on a discounted Garland, without moving out a salary in the process.
On a positive note in regards to the potential trade of Garland, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period wrote in an article last week that the Washington Capitals are interested in adding a top-six forward, as the offense has looked completely stagnant out of the gate. In the same article, Pagnotta notes that the Capitals could look to move out forward Anthony Mantha in any deal made to acquire Garland.
Unfortunately, with a roster surplus and salary cap problems of their own, the Canucks would be unable to take on the $5.7MM owed to Mantha for the rest of the season, even if no money was retained on Garland, complicating that hypothetical deal entirely. In the same vein, passing on a note from Friedman, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic confirms that the Capitals are indeed interested in acquiring Garland, but are trying to move Mantha in a separate trade.
For Garland, if Mantha becomes the domino that must fall before he is eventually moved out of Vancouver, the time frame on a potential trade has likely been extended to the trade deadline. Given the fact that Mantha has now been healthy scratched by the Capitals to start the year, Washington will likely have to move out significant assets in any trade involving Mantha, simply to entice the other party to absorb the rest of his contract.
Roster Notes: Drysdale, Pietrangelo, Kurashev, Bonino, Kochetkov
Although no official announcement has come from the team, CapFriendly indicates that the Anaheim Ducks have placed defenseman Jamie Drysdale on injured reserve retroactively to October 15th. Drysdale has not played in the following three games for the organization, as he has put up two assists while carrying a +2 rating.
As expected, the Ducks are not getting off to a hot start to this season, carrying a 1-4-0 record into tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, there is still plenty to be excited about in Orange County, as the team was able to sign both Drysdale and Trevor Zegras to separate three-year contracts shortly before the start of the season, as well as seeing the second-overall selection of the 2023 NHL Draft, Leo Carlsson, score a goal in his first ever professional game.
Nevertheless, even without indicating any effort to compete for the playoffs this season, Drysdale’s presence will be missed on the blue line. Thin on depth throughout the defensive core at the top level of the organization, there is an argument to be made that Drysdale represents the best of what the Ducks have to offer on defense.
Other roster notes:
- Having not played since the second game of the season for the Vegas Golden Knights, Jesse Granger of The Athletic is reporting that Alex Pietrangelo is back at practice with the team, skating in a non-contact jersey. In the two games he has played, Pietrangelo has put up one assist, averaging nearly 23 minutes a night. Remarkably, even without the presence of Pietrangelo in the lineup, the Golden Knights are one of only three teams who remain undefeated to start the season.
- After taking the entire summer to rehab a shoulder injury sustained towards the end of last season, Chicago Blackhawks’ forward, Philipp Kurashev, suffered a wrist injury during training camp before the start of this season, keeping him out of the lineup up to this point. With a serious need for more secondary scoring in their lineup, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports-Chicago is reporting that Kurashev is looking to make his debut for the team on Tuesday, as they take on the Boston Bruins for the second time this season.
- Per a team announcement, depth forward for the New York Rangers, Nick Bonino, is considered day-to-day with an illness, and will not practice with the team today. In five games so far with the Rangers, Bonino has gone scoreless, primarily centering the fourth line between fellow teammates Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
- After returning him to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL last night, CapFriendly is reporting that the Carolina Hurricanes have called goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov back up to the NHL. Suffice it to say, Kochetkov did not get off to the best start with the Hurricanes this season, allowing six goals on 28 shots in his only start against the Colorado Avalanche.
Wild Recall Daemon Hunt
The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt from AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. The transaction comes after head coach Dean Evason told reporters Monday, including The Athletic’s Michael Russo, that the team would recall a player from the minors in advance of their three-game Eastern swing that begins Thursday. It was likely to be a defender, with Jonathon Merrill banged up and taking a maintenance day today, although Evason believes the veteran will be able to play in tomorrow’s home game against Edmonton.
Hunt, 21, would make his NHL debut if he draws into the lineup in the coming days. Drafted as a physically inclined two-way defender, Hunt has yet to record a point in four games with Iowa this season and notched two goals and 11 points in 59 games with them last season, his first campaign in the pros. Selected in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Hunt served as the captain for the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons before turning pro with the Wild.
It’s unlikely to be a lengthy stay on the active roster for Hunt, although roster flexibility is something the Wild desperately need right now, with no healthy extras available to them prior to the recall. Defenseman Alex Goligoski was moved to LTIR last week to create cap space. For now, Minnesota will carry 12 healthy forwards and seven defensemen, the former of which will increase to 13 once winger Matt Boldy is ready to return. Listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury sustained on October 15, Boldy will travel with the Wild on the road trip but will not play Tuesday against the Oilers.