Anaheim Ducks Reassign Pavol Regenda
December 5: After nearly a month-long call-up, Regenda is headed back down to the minors. The Slovak product played in nine games during the call-up, registering a goal, a -1 rating, and 10:42 of ice time per game.
November 9: The Anaheim Ducks have brought winger Pavol Regenda back up from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls on an emergency basis, according to CapFriendly. The move comes ahead of the Ducks’ home game tonight against the Minnesota Wild.
The transaction was necessitated by forward Adam Henrique‘s late scratch from the lineup today. He’ll be away from the team on a short-term personal leave as he and his wife await the birth of their first baby. With Derek Grant also out of the lineup with an upper-body injury on a day-to-day basis, the team was down to 11 available forwards on the active roster.
Regenda, 22, was an undrafted free agent signing this summer who impressed and made the Ducks out of training camp. In his first five games with the team, he registered two assists prior to being sent down to the Gulls last week.
Over the past week in the AHL, he showed just why he made the team out of camp, registering two goals and two assists in four games. With a strong performance on this emergency recall, he could convince the Ducks to have him stay in the NHL full-time. His waiver-exempt status muddies that likelihood somewhat, though, as every other candidate for the Ducks to send down to San Diego would require waivers.
Florida Panthers Recall Zac Dalpe, Matt Kiersted
The Florida Panthers recalled center Zac Dalpe and defenseman Matt Kiersted from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on Monday, according to the AHL’s transactions log.
Florida is taking advantage of some added and much-needed roster flexibility created by Patric Hornqvist heading for long-term injured reserve. With some players out for just a handful of games at a time and the team pressed up against the salary cap, the Panthers had dressed fewer than 18 skaters at times in recent weeks and were relying on $0 emergency recalls to have a full roster.
Dalpe heads up to restore Florida’s number of healthy forwards on the active roster to 12. Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell are both day-to-day with an illness and upper-body injury, respectively, which forced them to ice 11 forwards and six defensemen in their last game.
If neither Barkov nor Lundell can return tomorrow, the Panthers will take on Winnipeg with Dalpe in the lineup. A veteran of 154 NHL games and the Checkers’ captain, Dalpe suited up once for Florida last season and has 10 goals in 19 games to lead Charlotte in 2022-23.
Kiersted, an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota two years ago, has appeared in 27 NHL games for Florida over the past three seasons. He’s had a rough start in the minors, notching just one assist in 12 games with the Checkers, and has a -6 rating. He comes to the roster as insurance, expected to be a healthy scratch unless the Panthers suffer additional injuries to their defense corps.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Gallagher, Brodzinski
The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is back on top. With 11 points in four games, McDavid has extended his league scoring lead to five over teammate Leon Draisaitl and is approaching a level not seen in the league for quite some time. Mario Lemieux is the only player in the last 30 years to score at a pace better than McDavid’s current 1.88 P/GP rate over a full season. If he can keep it up, the Oilers’ captain could join a very select club that has scored more than 150 points in a single season. Only Wayne Gretzky (nine times), Lemieux (four), Steve Yzerman (one), Phil Esposito (one), and Bernie Nicholls (one) have reached that mark.
Second and third went to Dylan Cozens and Jason Robertson, a pair of youngsters that are vying for their own place among the league’s best. The Buffalo Sabres forward had nine points in four games and now has 24 in 25 games during his third season in the league. The 6’3″ center won’t turn 22 until February. Robertson, meanwhile, has been the talk of the hockey world for weeks, as he continues to pace the league in goals with 23 in 25 games. That puts him on pace to score 75, which would be the highest total since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny both hit 76 in 1992-93.
- The Montreal Canadiens will be without Brendan Gallagher for the next two weeks, ruling him out with a lower-body injury. He’s going to be joined on the sideline by David Savard, who is listed as day-to-day but continues to be evaluated. While in years past Gallagher’s absence would be a devastating blow to the Canadiens’ forward group, the proverbial torch has been passed this season, with the 30-year-old playing the fewest minutes of his career and subsequently producing at a pedestrian pace. Gallagher has just three goals and eight points in 22 games so far.
- The up-and-down season continues for Jonny Brodzinski, who is back with the New York Rangers after being sent down yesterday. That’s three transactions in three days for the minor league forward, who has yet to actually play in a game for New York. Through 17 matches with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the 29-year-old has two goals and nine points, not exactly the production he’s used to. Last season, Brodzinski scored 39 in 36 for Hartford while suiting up 22 times in the NHL.
USA Hockey Announces Preliminary 2023 WJC Roster
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship is rapidly approaching, with things set to kick off on the afternoon of December 26 with a match between Switzerland and Finland. Team USA will start their tournament later that day against Latvia. Today, the organization released the preliminary roster for the upcoming camp.
The group will be pared down closer to the tournament but currently includes:
F Jackson Blake (CAR 109th overall, 2021)
F Gavin Brindley (2023 draft eligible)
F Tyler Boucher (OTT 10th overall, 2021)
F Kenny Connors (LAK 103rd overall, 2022)
F Logan Cooley (ARI 3rd overall, 2022)
F Jack Devine (FLA 221st overall, 2022)
F Dylan Duke (TBL 126th overall, 2021)
F Cutter Gauthier (PHI 5th overall, 2022)
F Noah Laba (NYR 111th overall, 2022)
F Ryan Leonard (2023 draft eligible)
F Samuel Lipkin (ARI 223rd overall, 2021)
F Chaz Lucius (WPG 18th overall, 2021)
F Cameron Lund (SJS 34th overall, 2022)
F Rutger McGroarty (WPG 14th overall, 2022)
F Red Savage (DET 114th overall, 2021)
F Will Smith (2023 draft eligible)
F Jimmy Snuggerud (STL 23rd overall, 2022)
F Charlie Stramel (2023 draft eligible)
D Sean Behrens (COL 61st overall, 2021)
D Shai Buium (DET 36th overall, 2021)
D Seamus Casey (NJD 46th overall, 2022)
D Ryan Chesley (WSH 37th overall, 2022)
D Aidan Hreschuk (CBJ 94th overall, 2021)
D Luke Hughes (NJD 4th overall, 2021)
D Lane Hutson (MTL 62nd overall, 2022)
D Luke Mittelstadt (undrafted)
D Jack Peart (MIN 54th overall, 2021)
D Ryan Ufko (NSH 115th overall, 2021)
G Trey Augustine (2023 draft eligible)
G Kaidan Mbereko (undrafted)
G Tyler Muszelik (FLA 189th overall, 2022)
G Andrew Oke (undrafted)
The camp will be held in Plymouth, Michigan between December 12-17, at which point a 23-man roster will be selected.
Alex Galchenyuk, Jayson Megna Placed On Waivers
The Colorado Avalanche have placed both Alex Galchenyuk and Jayson Megna on waivers, giving them some extra roster flexibility as they continue to deal with injuries. Galchenyuk needed to clear after signing a contract recently, and Megna had exhausted the exempt status he gained from clearing in October.
Colorado also moved Bowen Byram to injured reserve today, giving them room to recall Charles Hudon. Byram’s placement is retroactive and he has not suffered a setback, meaning he still should be back relatively soon.
The problem, though, is that both Artturi Lehkonen and Jean-Luc Foudy are dealing with injuries and are listed as day-to-day. The team has ten different players dealing with one ailment or another, and need some flexibility to be able to put together a cohesive lineup. For instance, the group has just six defensemen on the roster at the moment, but 15 forwards due to so many minor injuries up front. Waiving Galchenyuk and Megna will allow them to rebalance, if necessary.
It seems unlikely that either player will be claimed, given their lack of production. Neither one has scored an NHL point this season.
Washington Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard
After Darcy Kuemper was forced to leave the game for the Washington Capitals over the weekend, the team recalled Hunter Shepard from the AHL to serve as an extra goaltender. Kuemper is listed as day-to-day.
Shepard, 27, has never appeared in an NHL game and is only in his third season of professional hockey, but has been outstanding for the Capitals organization to this point. Starting in the ECHL, he dominated in 2020-21 for the South Carolina Stingrays, and went 3-0 during a short AHL stint. He was back in the ECHL for most of last season as well, but once again was outstanding whenever called up to the Hershey Bears, this time posting a .922 save percentage in nine appearances.
This year, as a full-time member of Hershey, he has a .932 in eight games, failing to lose a single one in regulation. Overall, since turning pro, Shepard has a .919 in the ECHL and a .934 in the AHL – not bad for an undrafted free agent goaltender who didn’t sign an NHL deal until he was 25.
Still, losing Kuemper for any length of time would leave the Capitals in a tough situation. Backup Charlie Lindgren has not been good this season, and the team is already struggling to stay relevant in the Metropolitan Division playoff race. Washington is 10-12-4 on the year and sit sixth in the division, having allowed 83 goals in 26 games.
Seattle Kraken Recall Shane Wright
With his conditioning stint over, Shane Wright is back in the NHL – for now. The young forward scored four goals in five games during his time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a move that was only allowed after he faced five consecutive healthy scratches in the NHL. He has now been recalled just in time for a game against the Montreal Canadiens, if the team decides to put him in the lineup.
(UPDATE: Head coach Dave Hakstol has confirmed to reporters including Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times that Wright will play against the Canadiens.)
Wright, 18, can play in two more NHL contests without burning the first year of his entry-level contract, and you can be sure he wants one of them to come against Montreal. After long being expected to go first overall in the 2022 draft, Wright was passed over by the Canadiens in favor of Juraj Slafkovsky, before seeing his name drop two more spots to finally come off the board fourth to Seattle.
Later today, Hockey Canada will be announcing their group for the upcoming World Junior Championship, which could be another option for the young forward. Playing at the tournament could keep him fresh without forcing the Kraken to send him back to the OHL. Once they do that, there is no recalling him, and there has been some debate over whether the team wants him to play for Kingston (the team that holds his rights) at all. In January, trade restrictions lift in the OHL, meaning Wright could be dealt to a different organization, one that the Kraken are comfortable sending him back to.
For now, though, he’s back in the big leagues and earning the NHL portion of his two-way contract.
Patric Hornqvist To Be Placed On LTIR
The Florida Panthers were going to face a cap crunch when Anthony Duclair was eventually cleared to return from his Achilles recovery, but it seems the injury bug might have done the work for them. Patric Hornqvist is expected to be moved to long-term injured reserve, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
Hornqvist suffered what is believed to be a concussion during Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, and will now miss at least ten games and 24 days due to the LTIR placement. As George Richards of Florida Hockey Now points out, this is not because of Duclair, who is still not close to returning.
Still, given the low usage that Hornqvist was getting this season, moving his $5.3MM cap hit to LTIR does give the team a good bit of extra flexibility. The 35-year-old is averaging just over nine minutes a night this year, playing as a fourth-liner and barely contributing. In the final year of his deal, reports emerged earlier this year that there is a handshake deal in place with the veteran forward that will keep him in Florida through the end of the season.
The Panthers had been operating with a roster under the allowed 23 players – even dressing fewer than 20 in recent games – something that will be able to change with Hornqvist out. The team will now have the flexibility to recall an extra defenseman, and keep players like Aleksi Heponiemi and Chris Tierney up on regular recall.
For Hornqvist, it appears as though the end of his NHL career might be fast approaching. His production has been on a steady decline in recent years and this season he has just three points in 22 games. About to turn 36, he has over 900 regular season games under his belt.
Ryan McDonagh Placed On Injured Reserve
One of the trades that probably didn’t get as much attention as it should have this offseason was one that sent Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators. Essentially a salary dump by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 33-year-old defenseman was acquired for almost nothing, despite being one of the most experienced postseason players in the league.
Though it got off to a rocky start, the Predators-McDonagh partnership has been strong of late, resulting in a 7-2-1 record in their last ten. Unfortunately, things will stop there, at least for a little while. McDonagh has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss two to four weeks. Jordan Gross has been recalled in his place.
McDonagh is dealing with an upper-body injury, taking more than 20 minutes per night out of the Nashville lineup. The veteran was facing all of the top competition and logging heavy defensive deployment, while anchoring the team’s penalty kill.
Without him, even more responsibility will likely be placed on Mattias Ekholm, in order to keep Roman Josi free to deliver offensive results. In Friday’s game, when McDonagh left early, Alexandre Carrier also saw a season-high 21:39, a good sign that he will be leaned on heavily in the interim.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Kirill Marchenko
Play the kids. The Columbus Blue Jacket’s season hasn’t gone anywhere near according to plan, so it’s time to see what they have in another youngster. Kirill Marchenko has been recalled from the AHL after just 16 games in North America.
Marchenko, 22, was the 49th overall selection in the 2018 draft, with an understanding that he wouldn’t be coming over for several years. Finally, after spending the last several seasons in the KHL, the young forward signed his entry-level contract last spring and made the trip to play with the Cleveland Monsters this year.
The AHL has proven to be no challenge for the young forward, as Marchenko has eight goals and 19 points in 16 games for Cleveland, though there are still some inconsistencies in his game. He is on a five-game point streak and should soon get a chance to show what he can do in the NHL.
Interestingly, it is Trey Fix-Wolansky who has been sent back to make room, after his own four-game stint with the Blue Jackets. Fix-Wolansky is the Monsters’ leading scorer with 22 points in 14 games, but standing just 5’7″ offers a very different skill set than the 6’3″ Russian.
The Blue Jackets have a back-to-back coming up tomorrow and Wednesday, where they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. Now sitting just 8-13-2, with several key injuries, it has turned into something of an evaluation season for the Columbus front office, instead of a competitive one.