Florida Panthers Loan Aleksi Heponiemi To AHL
On December 15th, the Florida Panthers recalled Aleksi Heponiemi from the AHL on an emergency recall, as the team was dealing with an illness that was working its way around the roster.
Now, per a team announcement, Heponiemi has been returned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. It’s been a busy season so far for the young Finnish forward, as marks Heponiemi’s ninth transaction of 2021-22.
Heponiemi has scored three points in 10 NHL games this year and eight points in 18 AHL games. The 23-year-old was drafted by the Panthers 40th overall at the 2017 draft, fresh off of his impressive rookie season in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos. While Heponiemi scored 86 points in 72 games that year, it was his sophomore WHL season that rocketed him towards top prospect status.
In 2017-18, Heponiemi scored 118 points in just 57 games, which went along nicely with the 30 points he scored in 26 playoff games as the Broncos took home the WHL title.
That stunning performance led him to make his professional debut in the Finnish Liiga, playing for Karpat. He scored 46 points in 50 games, no small feat given the somewhat conservative nature of Liiga, and after that year he headed to North America.
Unfortunately for Heponiemi, the immense scoring success he found in Finland and in the WHL hasn’t translated to the North American professional ice. Heponiemi’s AHL scoring started slow, with just 14 points in 49 games in 2019-20. Last year it began to come along, though, as he scored 39 points in 56 games.
In the NHL Heponiemi has struggled with the lack of time and space he is afforded by a league with such fast and physical players. While his total of just six points and 25 total games played is a disappointment considering his once-lofty prospect status, the fact remains that he won’t turn 24 for a few more weeks, meaning there is still time for his game to grow.
He’ll need to put together a strong, productive season at the AHL level first, though, and this loan back to Charlotte will restore his platform to put that sort of year on his resume.
Yegor Chinakhov Out Six Weeks
12/21/22: We now have some more clarity on Chinakhov’s injury and the timeline related to his recovery process. The Blue Jackets have announced that Chinakhov suffered a high ankle sprain in Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars, an injury that will cause him to miss approximately six weeks.
Chinakhov, the 21st overall pick at the 2020 draft, had been having a solid sophomore NHL season. While the Blue Jackets in general have struggled mightily, Chinakhov’s 13 points put him just one point behind his total production from last season. This year, though, he has scored those 13 points in 30 games, while last year it took him 62 games to score 14.
Needless to say, this high ankle sprain is an unwelcome development for the Blue Jackets. But the team can, at the very least, be encouraged by his progress on the ice so far this year as they monitor his injury recovery process.
12/20/22: It’s hard to believe just how many Columbus Blue Jackets players have suffered serious injuries this season but the list just keeps getting longer. Today, Yegor Chinakhov was moved to injured reserve with an ankle injury. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the young forward will get an MRI later today but is expected to be out of the lineup for a while.
Elvis Merzlikins is also dealing with an illness, meaning Jet Greaves has been recalled under emergency conditions and will serve as the backup tonight for Daniil Tarasov.
Chinakhov, 21, joins an injured reserve list that could nearly be a full NHL roster. Jakub Voracek, Boone Jenner, Jake Bean, Joonas Korpisalo, Justin Danforth, Nick Blankenburg, Zach Werenski, and Adam Boqvist are already out, while Cole Sillinger is dealing with a more minor injury.
Already in last place in the Eastern Conference and on a four-game losing streak, the Blue Jackets look like prime contenders for a lottery pick next summer.
Latest On Edmonton’s Search For Defense
The Edmonton Oilers haven’t been able to stop many teams this season, allowing goals at an alarming pace for a club that started the year with plans to contend for the Stanley Cup. After three straight 4-3 losses, their search for defensemen has hit the hot stove once again. In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, the insider reports that Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is on the Oilers’ radar.
Gavrikov, 27, is likely to draw interest from a number of teams as he continues to play solid (if unspectacular) defense for the Blue Jackets. The sixth-round pick has nine points in 32 games this season while averaging over 22 minutes a night, and brings a size/mobility combination that is very desirable for contenders at the deadline. Friedman even notes the prices of David Savard and Ben Chiarot in recent years as an indication of what it might cost to acquire Gavrikov.
In 2021, the Blue Jackets sent Savard to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a three-way deal that included the Detroit Red Wings, for the cost of a first, third, and fourth-round pick. The double salary retention involved dropped Savard’s cap hit to just over $1MM, allowing him to fit into the eventual Stanley Cup champions’ tight budget. Gavrikov, who currently carries a $2.8MM cap hit, could actually get even lower than that, if the same middle-man structure were to take place.
Chiarot landed a similar package from the Florida Panthers last year, as the Montreal Canadiens received first and fourth-round picks along with the rights to recent third-round prospect Ty Smilanic. The Canadiens retained half of Chiarot’s deal, taking his cap hit down to $1.75MM for the Panthers.
It should be noted that while Savard did win a Stanley Cup with the Lightning, neither one of these trades really worked out all that well for the acquiring team. Savard did very little on Tampa Bay’s run, dressing for 20 of the 23 games but averaging just over 14 minutes a night. Chiarot’s Panthers were swept in the second round while he was averaging just 17 minutes a night. Neither player re-signed with the acquiring teams.
Gavrikov, like Savard and Chiarot, is a pending unrestricted free agent that will likely be after a multi-year deal on the open market – one that should increase his cap hit significantly. Though he isn’t a star, he has shown the ability to play big minutes against top players and is a bargain at his current $2.8MM hit.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Samuel Ersson
The Philadelphia Flyers have brought up an extra goaltender, recalling Samuel Ersson from the AHL. Felix Sandstrom is dealing with an illness and will not travel with the team for tomorrow’s afternoon game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ersson, 23, has never appeared in an NHL game, but has been playing well for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms so far this season. A fifth-round pick in 2018, the Swedish netminder has a .910 save percentage in 18 games.
The team hasn’t indicated whether Sandstrom will meet them in Carolina for Friday, but if not, it would mean that either Carter Hart will start back-to-back games or Ersson will get to make his debut. With the club off after Friday until December 29, one can assume Sandstrom will be back to full health by the time they resume the season.
Snapshots: Wilson, Sergachev, Holm
Despite a strong 7-2-1 run in their last ten, the Washington Capitals remain in sixth place in the tough Metro, four points out of a divisional playoff spot. As they chase down the teams ahead of them, though some reinforcements are coming. Tom Wilson donned a regular jersey at practice today and skated on a line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, though the return for the first two is still a little way down the road. Wilson and Backstrom will not travel with the team to Ottawa according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, though Nic Dowd, Alex Alexeyev, and Darcy Kuemper will.
Wilson, 28, is one of the most unique players in the league, able to contribute at a high level offensively while still acting like a pseudo-enforcer on the ice. Racking up at least 93 penalty minutes in each of his nine NHL seasons, he had 24 goals and 52 points in 78 games last season. Since the Capitals never put him on long-term injured reserve, they can activate him without worrying about cap implications. Backstrom, whose $9.2MM cap hit has sat on LTIR all year, is a different story; the team will need to clear quite a bit to get him back on the roster.
- Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev‘s bank account took a little hit today, as he was fined $5,000 for slashing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting last night. That is the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA. While it doesn’t seem like much, the incident will be considered in any future supplementary discipline decisions, and could lead to increased punishment down the line. For Tampa Bay, they at least are escaping Toronto with no suspensions, after being pummeled by the Maple Leafs in a performance head coach Jon Cooper called “a complete bag of you know what.”
- As expected, Arvid Holm has been returned to the minor leagues by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning Connor Hellebuyck has recovered enough from his illness to return to action. In his absence, David Rittich stopped 35 of 36 shots in a win over the Ottawa Senators, raising his save percentage to .909 on the year – his highest since 2018-19.
Boston Bruins Recall Craig Smith
Dec 21: Smith is back with the big club, though he never really left. Recalled from the minor leagues, he will be available for tomorrow’s game (as long as they don’t send him down again).
Dec 20: The Boston Bruins will try and save a little cap space over the holiday break, assigning Craig Smith to the AHL after the veteran forward cleared waivers yesterday. Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now reports that Smith remains with Boston for the time being, even though his contract has officially been loaned to the Providence Bruins.
Since the Bruins are no longer using any long-term injured reserve relief, they can accrue cap space every day they spend under the ceiling. By sending Smith’s contract down, $1.125MM of the $3.1MM cap hit will come off the books.
The 33-year-old will still be able to collect his full $4.3MM salary, but it certainly would be something to see him suit up for Providence. It’s been a decade since Smith played in the minor leagues, and even then he only spent four games in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft, he became a star at the University of Wisconsin and stepped directly into the NHL after signing with the Nashville Predators, scoring 14 goals and 36 points as a rookie in 2011-12. The only reason he was even in the minor leagues the following season was because of the lockout-shortened season, and ever since he has been one of the most reliable middle-six forwards in the league.
After recording double-digit goals and at least 29 points in each of the last nine seasons, Smith had just four points in 18 games this year. Over an 807-game career, he has scored 192 goals and 402 points. At the end of the season, Smith’s three-year, $9.3MM deal will come to an end, leaving him an unrestricted free agent.
Denis Gurianov Granted Leave Of Absence
The Dallas Stars have announced that Denis Gurianov has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team due to family reasons. No further comment is expected to be made, and no timeline for his return has been suggested.
Gurianov, 25, last played for the Stars on Saturday and was listed as a scratch on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Through 25 games this season, the big Russian forward has five points and is averaging just under 13 minutes a night.
Hopefully, whatever it is taking Gurianov away from the team is resolved and he can return to hockey soon.
Cal Clutterbuck Placed On Injured Reserve
The New York Islanders have made several transactions today, starting with Cal Clutterbuck being placed on injured reserve. His stint is retroactive to December 16, meaning he could come off in just a few days if healthy enough to return. Hudson Fasching, Simon Holmstrom, and Cory Schnieder have all been recalled from the AHL, the latter under emergency conditions.
Clutterbuck has been listed as day-to-day recently, suggesting he will be back rather soon. The veteran forward has five points in 26 games this season while playing just over 12 minutes a night.
Now 35, the bruising fourth-liner has played the same role for nearly a decade in New York and is still signed through next season at a $1.75MM cap hit.
With Kyle Palmieri and Semyon Varlamov also still dealing with minor injuries, the others will come up for the back-to-back that starts tomorrow against the New York Rangers. The Islanders will play those two games and then break for Christmas, before resuming play on the 27th, hopefully with several injured players back in the lineup.
Fasching, 27, has two goals in six appearances for the Islanders this season, while the 21-year-old Holmstrom has two points in 12 games.
Ottawa Senators Extend Artem Zub
The Ottawa Senators have handed a nice Christmas gift to defenseman Artem Zub, signing him to a four-year extension. The deal is worth a total of $18.4MM ($4.6MM AAV) and will keep him in the organization through the 2026-27 season. Zub will hold a 10-team no-trade clause, and make the following:
- 2023-24: $4.0MM
- 2024-25: $4.8MM
- 2025-26: $4.8MM
- 2026-27: $4.8MM
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion released a statement on the deal:
Artem’s transition to North American hockey has been remarkable. He has worked hard to establish himself as an excellent NHL player and a strong defender. He consistently helps make us a better defensive team while he’s on the ice. We’re pleased to reach agreement with him on an extension of this length.
Zub, 27, came to the Senators in 2020, and has been arguably the most important defender on the team since the moment he arrived. While Thomas Chabot controls play and logs the biggest minutes, it is Zub that seems to make everything work. With him in the lineup, the team is so much better defensively, and he has chipped in a little bit of offense at the same time.
Last season he set a high-water mark of 22 points in 81 games, and was one of only three regulars to post a positive +/-. This year has been marred by two different injury issues, limiting him to just 14 games so far. In those, he is averaging more than 22 minutes and has four points.
It won’t get the headlines that some other extensions do, but locking up Zub is a very important step for the Senators. Given they are in the process of a sale, adding contracts to the books can sometimes be a tricky thing to pull off. Keeping Zub away from unrestricted free agency should only help the team as they attempt to turn the corner on their rebuild.
Snapshots: Blackhawks, Ferraro, Cogliano, Biega
The Blackhawks are a team that many are keeping an eye on when it comes to the trade front with long-time veterans Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews among those that could potentially be on the move between now and the March 3rd trade deadline, assuming that they’re willing to waive their trade protection. However, GM Kyle Davidson told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that he has yet to have any specific trade talks on any of his players just yet. With the trade market largely being stalled out right now due to a lack of cap flexibility, there’s no immediate rush to start to get a sense of what the market might be for some of their veterans. That should change at some point in the new year, especially when Kane and Toews decide whether they’d like to move on or if they want to remain with Chicago.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro confirmed to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that he’ll return to the lineup tonight against Calgary after missing close to four weeks with a foot injury. The 24-year-old is second on the team in ice time per game at a little under 23 minutes a night while he has chipped in with five points and 47 blocked shots in 23 games. San Jose had an open roster spot to activate him off injured reserve so no corresponding roster move needed to be made.
- Avalanche winger Andrew Cogliano will miss at least the next two games after suffering an upper-body injury in last night’s game against the Islanders, relays Kyle Frederickson of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link). The 35-year-old tumbled into the boards in the third period on Monday and did not return. He has four goals and three assists in 30 games so far this season while being an important part of a bottom-six group that has gone through plenty of turnover thus far. Now, he’ll be out until after the holiday break and will be re-evaluated at that time.
- Veteran defenseman Alex Biega announced his retirement on his Instagram page. The 34-year-old had a 12-year professional career, seeing NHL action in eight of those seasons. Biega suited up in 243 NHL contests between Vancouver, Detroit, and Toronto, picking up 42 points along with 624 hits. He also got into 397 career AHL games, collecting 129 points.