Pacific Notes: Kylington, Golden Knights, Fanti
While the Flames have been without defenseman Oliver Kylington all season so far due to a personal matter, GM Brad Treliving told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that they’re not giving up on the idea that he will be back at some point in the second half. Kylington had a breakout year in 2021-22, collecting 31 points in 73 games, earning himself a two-year, $5MM contract in the process and his return would certainly be a big boost to Calgary’s back end. At the moment, there haven’t been any discussions with him about when he might be able to return but with the trade deadline now less than two months away, it stands to reason that those conversations will be taking place at some point in the near future as if Kylington isn’t able to return, Calgary may have to make a move to find a replacement for the stretch run.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- There’s more help on the horizon when it comes to the Golden Knights. After getting center Jack Eichel and winger Paul Cotter back on Thursday, they could get winger Jonathan Marchessault back in the lineup tonight against Los Angeles, reports Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 32-year-old has missed six straight games with a lower-body injury but still sits third on the team in goals with 14. Gotz adds that defenseman Alec Martinez also has a chance to return tonight although, with the team off until Thursday after this game, they could opt to give him a few more days of rest. The veteran has been out for four straight games after being injured in the Golden Knights’ first game after the holiday break. He has five assists in 37 contests this season.
- The Oilers have re-assigned goaltender Ryan Fanti to Fort Wayne of the ECHL, per the AHL’s transactions log. Edmonton signed the 23-year-old to an entry-level deal back in March but he has struggled in his first full professional season, posting a save percentage below .900 in both the AHL and ECHL. He had a 3.46 GAA and a .895 SV% in seven games with AHL Bakersfield during his seven-week stint with the Condors.
Oilers Assign James Hamblin To AHL
The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves today in advance of their game tonight against Colorado. The team announced (Twitter link) that forward James Hamblin has been assigned to Bakersfield of the AHL. So too has Justin Bailey after he cleared waivers earlier today following having his AHL deal converted to an NHL one on Friday.
The 23-year-old has been a nice success story for Edmonton this season. After playing well with the Condors last season, the team gave the undrafted free agent a two-year, entry-level contract back in March with the hopes he’d eventually play his way into an NHL opportunity. He had a strong stretch in training camp before being one of their final cuts.
Hamblin got off to another good start in the minors with nine points in 15 games, earning himself a recall in late November. He had been up with Edmonton since then, seeing action in ten games. While he didn’t record a point, he won over 64% of his faceoffs while logging just shy of nine minutes a night. However, Hamblin has played just once in the last two and a half weeks which isn’t ideal for a prospect so he’ll head back to the Condors where he’ll see more regular ice time. As a result of his demotion, the Oilers now have an open spot on their active roster.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Justin Bailey
Saturday: Bailey has cleared waivers, NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports. He’ll now be allowed to rejoin the Condors.
Friday: The Edmonton Oilers have announced that forward Justin Bailey has been signed to a one-year, $750k two-way deal.
The contract comes after Bailey was signed to an AHL deal with their affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, in September. As part of the signing, Bailey has been placed on waivers for the purpose of officially assigning him to the AHL.
Bailey, 27, is a veteran of 82 NHL games, playing sporadically in the world’s top league over the past seven years. In that time frame, even as Bailey’s NHL opportunities were inconsistent, Bailey developed himself into a valuable AHL scorer.
Last season, Bailey scored 27 points in 30 games for the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate. In 2019-20, he scored 47 points in 53 games for the Utica Comets. This season, he has 10 points in 16 games for the Condors.
Now that he’s signed to an NHL deal, the Oilers will have the opportunity to recall Bailey from Bakersfield should that be something they wish to do. Before this signing, the Oilers had just 44 contracts on their books, meaning this deal is of little significance when it comes to the 50-contract limit.
Overall, this signing is great news for Bailey, as he likely receives a pay raise as part of the deal as well as the chance to possibly get into some games for the Oilers should the opportunity to do so present itself.
Flames Recall Two, Place Brett Ritchie On IR
The Flames announced (Twitter link) a trio of roster moves today in advance of their five-game road trip. They’ve recalled wingers Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr from AHL Calgary and to make room on the active roster, they’ve transferred winger Brett Ritchie on injured reserve.
Pelletier is one of Calgary’s top prospects and will get his first chance at making his NHL debut. The 21-year-old was a first-round pick (26th overall) back in 2019 and has been quite productive at both the junior and AHL level since then. This season, Pelletier sits second on the Wranglers in scoring with 15 goals and 19 assists in 31 games. The only player that he’s behind is Matthew Phillips but the Flames opted to sit the winger for most of the games he was up with the big club for so it’s not surprising that they’re trying Pelletier now instead.
As for Duehr, the 25-year-old has one career NHL appearance under his belt which came in November 2021. This season at the AHL level, he’s tied for third on the Wranglers in goals with ten, just one shy of his output from a year ago in 28 fewer games. This is only his second full professional campaign after signing a two-year entry-level deal with Calgary as a college free agent in 2021.
Meanwhile, Ritchie suffered what appeared to be a wrist injury last weekend against Vancouver and hasn’t played since then. Technically, that means that Calgary could back-date the placement to then, effectively making him eligible to be activated as soon as Sunday’s game in Chicago. The fact they’ve placed him on IR means he’ll be out longer than that but there is no timetable for his return. The 29-year-old has six goals and two assists in 30 games with the Flames so far this season.
Tom Wilson To Make Season Debut On Sunday
The good news for Washington keeps on coming. After revealing earlier today that center Nicklas Backstrom will make his season debut on Sunday against Columbus, they’ve now announced (Twitter link) that winger Tom Wilson will also suit up for the first time in 2022-23 against the Blue Jackets.
The 28-year-old underwent surgery back in May to repair a torn ACL. Originally diagnosed with a recovery period of six to eight months, this return date falls pretty much in the middle of that range.
While Wilson has gotten himself into trouble from a league disciplinary standpoint over the years, he has also become one of the premier power forwards in the NHL. He has reached the 20-goal mark in three of the last four seasons with the one he didn’t being the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign where he scored at a 23-goal pace.
As is the case with Backstrom, Wilson will certainly need some time to get back into prime playing shape but he’ll be a big addition to what has already been a fairly deep attack so far this season. He has spent a lot of time in recent years on Washington’s top line and while it will likely take a little while for him to get there, that could very well be the spot he winds up in eventually.
With Aliaksei Protas being sent down to make room for Backstrom, the Capitals will likely have to turn to the waiver wire to create a spot for Wilson to be activated into. Wingers Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Joe Snively appear to be the likeliest casualties with them having limited roles when they’ve been in the lineup. While the Capitals could designate one of them as waivers/non-roster tomorrow, it’s possible that they could make that waiver placement today, freeing up the roster spot and cap space on Sunday before formally activating both Wilson and Backstrom.
Nicklas Backstrom Will Make Season Debut On Sunday
A few months ago, there were questions as to whether Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom would be able to play ever again, let alone this season. However, his recovery from hip resurfacing surgery has gone well and the veteran is ready to suit up as the team announced (Twitter link) that he will make his season debut tomorrow against Columbus.
Backstrom will become only the second NHL player to play after undergoing this procedure. Long-time blueliner Ed Jovanovski was the other as he suited up in 37 games with Florida back in the 2013-14 season before the team bought him out.
The 35-year-old’s return will undoubtedly be a big boost to Washington’s lineup. Even while playing through the injury last season, he had 31 points in 47 games while before that, he had been in the top three in scoring for the Capitals for nine straight years. While there will certainly be an adjustment period as he plays his way back into game conditioning, Backstrom should be able to deepen what has already been a pretty strong attack this season as the Caps enter play today with the fourth-most goals in the NHL.
Backstrom, who carries a $9.5MM AAV, is currently on LTIR which means that the Capitals will need to get cap-compliant in order to activate him. They’ve already made the first move as Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that defenseman John Carlson has been transferred to LTIR. Carlson, who will miss a few months after taking a shot to the face last month, carries an $8MM AAV which will cover most of what they’ll need to clear to activate Backstrom.
The Capitals needed to free up a roster spot as well in order to welcome Backstrom back onto the roster. It will be sophomore center Aliaksei Protas that cedes his spot as the team announced that he has been sent down. Protas was a healthy scratch last night against Nashville and was the lone waiver-exempt player on the roster so he was the logical choice. The 22-year-old has largely been a regular this season having played in 41 games (while recording 10 points) but subbing in Backstrom for him will certainly improve Washington’s chances of holding down a playoff spot in the tight Metropolitan Division.
Metropolitan Notes: Hallander, Barzal, Noesen
Penguins prospect Filip Hallander was stretchered off the ice late in yesterday’s AHL game between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Charlotte, relays Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The injury occurred off a faceoff with his legs getting tied up with a Charlotte player, causing him to fall to the ice, landing on the side of his head. Play was quickly whistled down as the 22-year-old was motionless on the ice and the game was called at that point. The team released a brief statement this morning (Twitter link) indicating that he has been released from the hospital and is resting at home. They will not be providing any further information about the injury at this time.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Islanders center Mathew Barzal was a late scratch in Friday’s loss to Calgary due to what was termed a tweak, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). It’s likely that the issue was sustained the night before in Edmonton. Barzal took part in the pregame warmup so it’s likely his absence will be a short-term one. The 25-year-old has had a bit of a bounce-back season offensively and is on pace for numbers comparable to his rookie season when he had 22 goals and 85 points.
- Hurricanes winger Stefan Noesen isn’t expected to play today against Columbus, reports team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). After playing sparingly with Carolina last season, the 29-year-old is on pace for a career year with eight goals and a dozen assists through his first 37 games played which is pretty strong production for someone averaging just over 12 minutes a game in ice time. While there’s no word on how long Noesen will be out, it doesn’t appear that this will be a long-term absence.
Loan Roundup: 01/06/22
After Team Canada put gold medals around their neck last night to conclude the 2023 World Junior Championship, a variety of prospects under NHL contract were loaned back to their minor or junior teams today. We’ll keep a running list of those transactions right here.
All transactions are provided by CapFriendly.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets returned defenseman Stanislav Svozil to the WHL’s Regina Pats. Drafted 69th overall in 2021, Svozil had an incredible tournament with eight points in seven games for Czechia, winning a silver medal — the country’s first medal since 2005. Quickly looking like a draft steal, Svozil has 37 points in just 28 games, and he’ll return to playing with presumptive 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard.
- Also from Columbus, 2022 sixth-overall selection David Jiricek is returning to the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate. Jiricek also helped dominate from the Czech blueline, recording seven points and a staggering +10 rating in seven games. He played his first two NHL games before the tournament and has an impressive 20 points in just 19 games with the Monsters.
- The Dallas Stars returned dynamic Canadian forward Logan Stankoven to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Stankoven, who has a decent shot at making the team out of training camp in 2023-24, had three goals and 11 points in seven games with the Canadians. He was a second-round pick of the Stars in 2021, another budding draft steal.
- Gritty forward Reid Schaefer, selected with the last pick of the first round in 2022 by the Edmonton Oilers, is returning to the WHL-leading Seattle Thunderbirds. Schaefer played at the bottom of the Canadian lineup and managed one assist in seven contests. He’s fourth on Seattle in goals with 15 in just 22 games.
- Nashville Predators right-shot defense prospect Jack Matier was loaned back to the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. The 124th overall selection in 2021 is amidst a breakout season in Ottawa, recording 26 points and a +24 rating through 26 games. He had one assist at the World Juniors.
- The Vegas Golden Knights returned Czech forward Jakub Brabenec to the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix. Drafted 102nd overall in 2021, Brabenec was just dealt to the Phoenix today from the Charlottetown Islanders. His scoring had taken somewhat of a dip before the trade with 25 points in 28 games, but a strong World Juniors performance should instill some confidence.
- Vegas also sent forward Zach Dean to the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. Taken 30th overall in 2021, Dean has 35 points in 27 games with Gatineau and recorded a goal and two assists for Canada at the tournament.
Latest On Shane Wright
After the Seattle Kraken assigned 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright back to the OHL this morning, it quickly became apparent that he would not remain a member of his current team, the Kingston Frontenacs. They are fifth in the Eastern Conference, but at just two games over .500, OHL championship and Memorial Cup aspirations aren’t in their future this season.
Obviously, both for Wright personally and his development, it makes sense for him to be in a more competitive situation as he finishes out his junior career. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler today named the Ottawa 67’s, Barrie Colts, Peterborough Petes, and London Knights as “expected players” in a Wright trade, which would need to occur within the next four days. The OHL’s trade deadline is on Tuesday, January 10.
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek added on, saying he didn’t think a Wright trade was necessarily imminent but that Kingston general manager Kory Cooper would meet with Wright, his family, his agent, and Kraken representatives to discuss trade options. Wright has a no-trade clause in his agreement with Kingston.
Ottawa may make the most sense for Wright, given their situation. The 67’s are first in the OHL, maintaining a spectacular 26-6-1-1 record through 34 games. Their strong suit is defense, surrendering only a league-best 87 goals. Scoring is a needed area of improvement, though. The 2023 draft-eligible Luca Pinelli is tied with the overage Cameron Tolnai for the team lead in scoring, although they both have just 39 points in 34 games. They’re solid totals but not staggering for the junior level.
Wright, who scored four goals in five games with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds and had seven points in seven games at the World Juniors, should clear the point-per-game mark by a mile. He still managed 94 points in 63 games with Kingston in 2021-22 despite not playing at all the season prior.
He also fits into Ottawa’s game plan as a defensively responsible center and could take some of the load from players like Pinelli to open up their offensive games.
Snapshots: Zuccarello, Hedman, Lambert
The Minnesota Wild will be without a member of their top line this weekend. Dane Mizutani of The Pioneer Press reports that right wing Mats Zuccarello is out with an upper-body injury and won’t play in their games against the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues this weekend.
Zuccarello, now 35, is second on the Wild in scoring and is again producing at over a point-per-game pace after doing so for the first time in his career last season. His 16 goals, 24 assists, and 40 points are all second on the team behind linemate Kirill Kaprizov, who is heading to the 2023 NHL All-Star Game in South Florida, as announced last night.
However, Mizutani also reports that the Wild will get gritty winger Brandon Duhaime back in the lineup, who hasn’t played since American Thanksgiving. It doesn’t appear to be a long-term absence for Zuccarello, who Mizutani says hopes to re-join the team for next week’s road trip to New York.
- Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is out tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, although it’s for a positive reason. Lightning beat writer Chris Krenn notes that Hedman has returned to Tampa and is expecting the birth of his family’s second child over the next few days. Mikhail Sergachev, who actually leads all Lightning blueliners in points, steps up to the top pairing in Hedman’s absence.
- After playing the first half of the season in the AHL, Winnipeg Jets 2022 first-round pick Brad Lambert could head to junior hockey for the first time in North America. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek expects Lambert to end up with the top-ranked Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL “at some point” this weekend. Lambert has struggled somewhat in his post-draft season after seeing his stock fall heavily out of the top five, as he posted just one point in five games at the 2023 World Junior Championship and managed three points in 14 games with Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.