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Flames Assign Tyson Barrie To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Flames assigned defenseman Tyson Barrie to AHL Calgary on a conditioning loan Friday, per a club announcement. It will be the 33-year-old’s first minor-league action in over 11 years.

Despite not dealing with an injury, Barrie hasn’t suited up for the Flames since mid-November. After being scratched in a remarkable 29 straight contests, the veteran will once again get some playing time, even if at a lower level of competition.

Barrie hasn’t been a factor for Calgary after joining the organization on a tryout and landing a one-year, $1.25MM contract near the end of training camp. He was scratched for all but three games in October before getting an extended run of play in November, posting a goal and an assist with a minus-two rating in nine appearances before heading to the press box for the last two-plus months.

Whether the 5’11” righty’s NHL career continues past this season remains to be seen. Once one of the league’s better offensive defensemen with the Avalanche in the mid-2010s, he’s continuously slid down depth charts ever since Colorado traded him to the Maple Leafs in the 2019 deal that sent Nazem Kadri to Denver. His minutes have been reduced in stops with Toronto, Edmonton, Nashville, and now Calgary. Before becoming an unrestricted free agent last summer, he’d dressed in only 41 games with the Preds in the last year of a three-year, $13.5MM commitment, recording 15 points with a -10 rating.

His unimpressive possession metrics in his short stint in Calgary are evidence of how far his two-way game has lapsed. His 49.2 CF% at even strength ranks 18th on the club, and his 3.0 GA/60 is fourth-worst. He was getting second-unit power play time when in the lineup but didn’t produce anything aside from the lone assist.

Barrie will continue counting against the Flames’ cap and roster limit while on a conditioning loan. If they choose to keep him in the minors after two weeks, they’ll have to place him on waivers.

Sam Gagner Signs PTO With AHL Belleville

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Unrestricted free agent center Sam Gagner will attempt to continue his NHL career in the Senators organization. He’s signed a professional tryout with their AHL affiliate in Belleville, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports Friday.

Gagner, 35, has been on the open market since the Oilers opted not to renew his two-way deal for 2023-24. He’s sat at home for most of the campaign after failing to land a contract from the Hurricanes during a PTO with them during training camp. However, he did travel to Switzerland to captain Team Canada to a semifinal loss at the 2024 Spengler Cup.

The veteran of 1,043 NHL games will suit up for the B-Sens tonight, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic, marking the first time in his career that he’s seen AHL action in back-to-back seasons. He recorded nine points in 15 games for AHL Bakersfield last season after falling out of Edmonton’s NHL forward rotation and clearing waivers.

While Gagner has been limited by hip surgery and a concussion over the past two seasons, he’s still been a reasonably effective fourth-line producer when dressed. He has 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 76 games since the beginning of the 2022-23 season with the Jets and Oilers.

Whether he still has NHL utility after missing half the campaign remains to be seen, but he’ll at least get the chance to land a two-way deal from the Sens before the trade deadline. He’s a more experienced recall option by far than their current rotation of names like Matthew Highmore, Jan Jeník, and Cole Reinhardt – experience that could come in handy as Ottawa battles to end their eight-year postseason drought down the stretch.

Gagner, the sixth overall pick of the 2007 draft, has 197 goals and 332 assists for 529 career NHL points across three stints in Edmonton plus ones in Arizona, Philadelphia, Columbus, Vancouver, Detroit, and Winnipeg. The Sens would be his fourth Canadian team if he lands a deal and adds to his NHL tallies.

Canadiens Assign Jayden Struble To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Canadiens assigned defenseman Jayden Struble to AHL Laval on a conditioning assignment Friday, the team announced. He will remain on the active roster while suiting up in the minors but will need to be reinstated after two weeks. Otherwise, he’ll need to be waived to continue playing in the minors.

Struble, 23, was scratched for the seventh straight game in last night’s loss to the Red Wings. He’s only played four times since Dec. 12 and has been subject to 15 healthy scratches during that span.

The 2019 second-rounder has firmly slipped behind Arber Xhekaj on the team’s left defense depth chart for now. There hasn’t been much appetite for head coach Martin St. Louis to make lineup changes amid a 13-4-1 surge since mid-December that has Montreal in the thick of a highly competitive Eastern Conference wild-card race.

Still in his development stage but no longer waiver-exempt, the Habs thus need to take advantage of a conditioning stint to get Struble some regular playing time. The Rhode Island native has been decently effective when given a chance this season, posting five points through 26 games while leading Montreal defenders with a 51.9 CF% at even strength, albeit in limited minutes (14:16 ATOI).

Controlling shot quantity hasn’t meant controlling shot quality for Struble this year, however. He’s posted a minus-seven rating and has been on the ice for just 1.7 GF/60 at even strength compared to 3.1 GA/60. He has been decently effective on the penalty kill, though, where he averages around a minute per game.

Still, by most definitions, this season has been a step back for the physically involved Struble. He earned a midseason promotion from Laval last season to make his NHL debut and ended up skating in 56 big-league contests, recording 10 points, a minus-three rating, and 57 PIMs. He finished fifth on the team with 121 hits and averaged 16:07 per game, so his minutes have been reduced by nearly two minutes this season.

The Canadiens only have seven defensemen on the active roster, including Struble. Therefore, expect them to use their open roster spot to recall a temporary replacement from Laval in the coming days. Struble had seven points and a plus-five rating in 13 appearances with the minor-league club last season.

Canucks, Kevin Lankinen Have Had Extension Talks

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The Canucks began preliminary extension discussions with goaltender Kevin Lankinen as soon as he became eligible to sign a new deal on Jan. 1, Thomas Drance of The Athletic relayed earlier this week.

Nothing is close on the matter, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic added Friday, and it will likely take until the NHL sets next season’s salary cap ceiling until negotiations kick into overdrive. Of course, that announcement will come much earlier than normal – potentially even before the trade deadline – according to a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet this week. Their talks have also moved to the backburner in recent weeks with most of the Canucks’ front-office resources dedicated to working out a J.T. Miller trade, something that’s still on the horizon after he almost became a Ranger for the second time last weekend.

While the fit in Vancouver for Lankinen has been spectacular, whether the Canucks will be willing to dole out what it will take to retain him is questionable. After inking a one-year deal worth just $875K in training camp, Lankinen carried a heavy workload while starter Thatcher Demko continued to rehab the complex knee injury he sustained during last year’s playoffs. He remains the team’s No. 1 option with Demko struggling after his return, boasting a 16-8-6 record and .903 SV% through 30 appearances. He’s already just seven games short of the career high he set during his rookie season with the Blackhawks in 2020-21, and he’s set a new career-best mark in shutouts with four.

His numbers across the board are pretty average, but considering the struggles of Demko (.867 SV%, 3.47 GAA) and third-stringer Arturs Silovs (.847 SV%, 4.11 GAA), he’s been among the team’s most valuable players and one of the main reasons they’re still in the conversation for a playoff spot amid an injury-plagued campaign. That positions Lankinen to cash in with an AAV of around $4MM on a multi-year extension, LeBrun opines, twice as much as his previous career-high cap hit. He made $2MM on a one-year deal with the Predators while backing up Juuse Saros last year.

Anything much higher than $4MM would be a considerable risk for a 29-year-old netminder who’s on pace to start 30 games for just the second time in his career. However, outside from a sophomore slump with Chicago in 2021-22, he’s largely been an above-average option in limited starts and an average one with a more extended workload. Pairing him with Demko, whose $5MM cap hit next season stands to be a bargain if he can recapture his pre-injury level of play, could create a serviceable tandem at worst for less than $10MM against the cap and gives Vancouver a safety net past next year if Demko can’t rebound or tests free agency.

Devils’ Jacob Markstrom Out 4-6 Weeks With Knee Sprain

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Jan. 24: Markstrom’s absence will likely stand in the four-to-six-week range, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast. That keeps him out of the 4 Nations tournament and potentially up until the trade deadline, but all indications point to him being back between the pipes for the stretch run.

Jan. 23: A frightening situation from last night’s game against the Boston Bruins has worsened for the New Jersey Devils. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that Devils’ goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been diagnosed with a knee sprain and could be sidelined until after the 4 Nations Face-Off, which concludes mid-February.

Weekes states that the diagnosis is more favorable than anticipated, but it adds insult to injury for a team that has struggled recently. Bruins’ forward Justin Brazeau collided with Markstrom early in the second period of yesterday’s game, causing the Swedish goaltender to awkwardly hit his net. Markstrom exited the game after 23:09 of action, having stopped six out of seven shots.

After managing three straight wins against intra-divisional opponents in mid-December, New Jersey has amassed a 3-6-3 record in their last 12 games falling to third place in the Metropolitan Division. It’s difficult to blame Markstrom for the rough patch given he’s managed a respectable .907 save percentage over the same span. Throughout the regular season, Markstrom has been exactly what the Devils needed with a 21-9-5 record in 36 starts with a .910 SV% and 2.20 goals-against average.

While Jake Allen may not be as skilled as Markstrom, he is certainly a better option than many backup goaltenders. This season, he has started 14 games for New Jersey, recording a 6-8-1 record with a .901 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average. New Jersey only has seven games between now and the end of February’s international tournament so he won’t have too much to shoulder. Although it may be challenging to count on Allen to steal wins for the Devils, he remains a capable veteran goalie.

In addition to the impact of Markstrom’s injury on the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference playoff race, it could pose a significant challenge for Team Sweden. The team is already facing the potential unavailability of Linus Ullmark due to his injury status, and Filip Gustavsson has struggled with a .839 save percentage over his last four starts, which has not instilled much confidence. Multiple sources indicate that Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson would be called to fill the role if neither Markstrom nor Ullmark can participate in the Four Nations Face-Off because of injury. 

Capitals Ramping Up Efforts To Extend Logan Thompson

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The Capitals have “engaged more meaningfully” in extension talks with pending unrestricted free agent goaltender Logan Thompson’s camp recently, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports Friday.

Washington is aiming to have the soon-to-be 28-year-old signed, and off the market by the time the 4 Nations Face-Off rolls around in a few weeks, LeBrun wrote. Recent extensions for similarly-aged breakout netminders like the Avalanche’s Mackenzie Blackwood and the Kraken’s Joey Daccord mean the Caps are likely looking at a four-to-five-year commitment with an average annual value between $5MM and $5.5MM to retain his services – potentially even $6MM, Jamie McLennan of TSN told LeBrun.

That would be an astronomical range over Thompson’s current $767K cap hit, which he locked in when he signed a three-year, $2.3MM extension with the Golden Knights midway through his rookie 2021-22 campaign. The Caps needed a goalie last summer after they dealt Darcy Kuemper to the Kings in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Thompson desired more playing time in his contract year after posting a .908 SV% in a career-high 42 starts and four relief appearances in Vegas last year. Washington moved to acquire Thompson on the second day of the 2024 draft, sending a pair of third-round picks Vegas’ way to provide an economical tandem partner for last year’s breakout option, Charlie Lindgren.

While Lindgren and Thompson rotated starts through the beginning of the season, Thompson has emerged as the bona fide 1A option for the upstart Caps. His sparkling 22-2-3 record in 26 games is backed up by a .925 SV%, which ranks third in the league among netminders with double-digit starts. Those 22 wins are also third in the league and are the most among goalies with under 30 starts, ahead of former teammate Adin Hill, who has 18 wins through 29 starts for the Knights.

Advanced statistics are also quite kind to Thompson, positioning him as the clear-cut runner-up to the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck for the Vezina Trophy. His 26.8 goals saved above expected are just 0.4 short of Hellebuyck in nine fewer games, per MoneyPuck, good for a league-leading 1.00 GSAx/60.

Expecting Thompson to maintain this level of play over the life of an extension is unreasonable. However, unlike a contract comparable in Blackwood, he’s established a high floor for his play at the NHL level. His SV% never dipped below .908 during his time in Vegas, and his GSAx has never finished in the red.

Since Thompson established himself as a full-time NHL option, concerns have revolved around his ability to handle a more significant workload, which he’s now quieting with the Capitals. He started a run of seven straight contests before Lindgren recorded a shutout last night against the Kraken, posting a .955 SV% in that span and a 6-0-1 record. Two of those wins were shutouts in back-to-back games against the Ducks and Senators, and he allowed just eight goals total during the seven-game stretch.

LeBrun reported earlier in January that the Caps had started preliminary extension discussions with Thompson and Lindgren, another pending UFA. They took both conversations slowly to avoid upset team chemistry by extending one before the other. While Lindgren has still been above average with a .904 SV% and 2.53 GAA, he’s three years older than Thompson and has a more inconsistent NHL track record. Thompson’s recent dominant stretch with an increased workload has proven he’s the more valuable option to Washington in the long term.

“I think Thompson has put himself into the conversation of being a top-tier Canadian goaltender, as well,” McLennan said. “Right now, you’ve got to see it for what it’s worth. The Caps traded for him. He’s delivered for them. They obviously like him. And he’s in [the] wheelhouse of his prime and getting better. Goalies from 27-32 continue to get better with age.”

As things stand, Thompson is the unquestionable No. 1 option on the UFA market among goaltenders this summer. Names like Hill, Lindgren, Kevin Lankinen, and Ilya Samsonov would move to center stage after a potential extension is announced.

Latest On Pittsburgh Penguins

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Jan. 23rd: Adding more weight and credibility to LeBrun’s reporting yesterday, Penguins’ general manager Kyle Dubas put even more cold water on the recent speculation. In an interview with team broadcaster Josh Getzoff and later expanded upon by Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dubas was quoted saying, “To say that it’s a fire sale and we’re willing to retain money on very long-term deals — you know, I understand how that stuff starts to get out and take on a life of its own, but it’s not accurate. We’ve had lots of conversations. But are we telling teams that everything must go? No, we’re not.”

Jan. 22nd: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provided some context to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ plans leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline. Reports earlier in the week stated that the Penguins were headed for a fire sale before the deadline, but LeBrun writes that the Penguins intend to acquire young NHL players, prospects and draft picks but aren’t likely to orchestrate a massive fire sale. As LeBrun points out, Pittsburgh simply doesn’t have many pending unrestricted free agents, and trading players with term in season is quite difficult.

LeBrun notes that pending UFA Marcus Pettersson will be talked about and likely traded based on previous reports from Josh Yohe of The Athletic. But beyond that, most of the Penguins’ best trade chips have term remaining. These trades can prove difficult if you are looking to add futures because teams don’t typically have enough cap space to add the player, and as LeBrun points out in the article, it may force Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas to wait until the offseason when he will have more suitors and there will be more flexibility.

Chris Johnston of TSN clarified the Penguins’ situation further on Insider Trading, saying that they aren’t looking to retain salary on any long-term deals, which would further complicate trading a player with a term. However, he did add that there were very few untouchables in Pittsburgh outside of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, which certainly means that the Penguins are open for business and willing to move almost anyone on their active roster.

While LeBrun and Johnston poured cold water on the reports of a fire sale, LeBrun acknowledges that Dubas and Penguins management will be doing their best to get a lot done before the deadline, but reality might make those plans fall by the wayside.

Pittsburgh is certainly stuck in an unusual place as they continue to roster Crosby, who has not lost a step despite playing in his age-37 season. The Penguins likely can’t bottom out in the standings but do appear committed to re-tooling on the fly in an effort to be competitive once again before Crosby retires. While the plan makes sense, it has not been successful for many teams. Although, one could point to the Washington Capitals as an example of a team that re-tooled on the fly around a veteran core.

Dubas is certainly giving it his best shot, having taken the Penguins prospect pool from 27th in the NHL to 20th in just one year based on Scott Wheeler’s rankings in The Athletic.

Winnipeg Jets Reassign Dominic Toninato

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After nearly a month on the NHL roster, Dominic Toninato is heading to the AHL. The Winnipeg Jets announced they’ve reassigned Toninato to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

It’ll likely be his last stint with the Jets. Toninato has been on the active roster for 24 days, so if he spends six more days in Winnipeg, he’ll need to clear waivers again this season. The Jets are back down to 12 healthy forwards after the roster move thanks to Mason Appleton’s recent activation from injured reserve and Adam Lowry’s placement on it.

Winnipeg hardly used him during his recent call-up, as he went scoreless in four games and averaged 8:03 of ice time per game. Still, it’s reasonable to think the Jets will want another forward on their roster in case of additional injuries.

Toninato has the most NHL experience of any prospective forward call-ups but not the only one. Winnipeg could recall any of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Mason Shaw, or Axel Jonsson-Fjällby should they want a depth forward familiar with the top level.

The Jets’ most pressing need is down the middle of the ice after Lowry’s injury giving Anderson-Dolan the inside track for a potential call-up. He’s spent the entire season with AHL Manitoba scoring two goals and two assists in 24 games.

Boston Bruins Recall Michael DiPietro

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Michael DiPietro, American Hockey League All-Star for the Providence Bruins, will get his first look on the bench with the Boston Bruins this evening. The Bruins announced they’ve recalled DiPietro from their AHL affiliate to fill in for Jeremy Swayman as he deals with a minor injury.

Still, aside from an injury to Joonas Korpisalo or a lopsided affair against the Ottawa Senators, DiPietro will have to wait to debut with the Bruins. Should he be needed; however, it will be exactly three years to the day that DiPietro last suited up in an NHL contest.

Boston acquired DiPietro from the Vancouver Canucks in the 2022-23 season as a part of the package that sent Jack Studnicka to British Columbia. He spent much of that year for the Bruins’ ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, posting a 19-9-0 record in 29 games with a .918 save percentage.

DiPietro hasn’t looked back since becoming a full-time netminder with AHL Providence. He split the net with Brandon Bussi last season posting an 18-9-2 record in 30 games with a .918 SV% and 2.51 goals-against average, including four shutouts. For better or for worse, Providence tasked Bussi with playoff duties despite DiPietro’s marginally better output, and they were ousted in four games against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Windsor, Ontario native is still sharing the net with Bussi this season albeit starting a few more games. DiPietro has already been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team with a 14-5-4 record in 22 games with a .930 SV%. Not only is DiPietro leading Providence in save percentage by a large margin, he sits second only to Devin Cooley in the entire AHL for netminders that have started in 20 or more contests.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Matt Murray, Reassign Dennis Hildeby

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Although they don’t play until Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs are making a small move between the pipes. Toronto announced they’ve recalled veteran netminder Matt Murray and reassigned goaltender Dennis Hildeby to their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

It’ll be Murray’s first opportunity back in the NHL over the last month. Due to injuries, the veteran puck-stopper hadn’t played a game for the Maple Leafs since April 2, 2023, and returned to the NHL toward the end of the 2024 calendar year.

His first start in 628 days came against the Buffalo Sabres when Murray stopped 24 of 27 shots and secured the win. His next start wasn’t as productive, stopping only 27 of 31 shots for a .871 save percentage in a loss against the Washington Capitals.

Still, his time with AHL Toronto has been more than fruitful this year, earning an 8-4-3 record in 15 games with a .934 SV%, 1.68 goals-against average, and three shutouts. The 30-year-old native of Thunder Bay, Ontario is in a difficult situation where he hasn’t recently been healthy enough to be a consistent netminder in the NHL and is almost too good for the AHL.

Hildeby returns to a familiar environment after playing backup duty for Joseph Woll for the last month. He was hardly used by the Maple Leafs during that stretch, posting a 1-2-0 record in three starts against the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets, respectively, with a .868 SV%. His track record this year and beyond has been much better for the Marlies where Hildeby has managed a .916 SV% in eight games on the current campaign.

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