Minor Transactions: 11/09/22
After a packed night of hockey yesterday, today’s NHL slate is a bit lighter. Four games are on the schedule for today, headlined by a primetime showdown between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. As we await the NHL action set to be played tonight, we have some minor league and foreign transactions to track. We’ll cover all those moves here:
- Veini Vehvilainen, a former member of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, has changed clubs. Per a team announcement, Vehvilainen has joined JYP, the Liiga club of his hometown, Jyvaskyla. Vehvilainen spent last season as the starter for Brynas in the SHL, putting up a .907 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against-average. He’s struggled so far this year with a grisly .854 save percentage, possibly prompting Vehvilainen to make this move. Brynas announced that they’ve signed veteran netminder Tomi Karhunen.
- Jeremy Brodeur, the son of legendary NHL netminder Martin Brodeur, has made the choice to head overseas to continue his professional career. Brodeur has signed with the Manchester Storm of the EIHL, the top pro hockey league in the United Kingdom. Brodeur has played in two games this season, both with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, and now heads to a Storm club in need of help in the crease. The team’s current starting goalie, Hayden Lavigne, has a .888 save percentage through 11 games, so the Storm will hope that Brodeur can be an improvement in the net.
- Strauss Mann, a talented goalie prospect in the San Jose Sharks organization, was recalled to the AHL San Jose Barracuda yesterday. Mann, 24, has a sterling resume so far in his career, having represented the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and been an elite college netminder at the University of Michigan. His recall is possibly motivated by a desire for the Barracuda to improve their goaltending fortunes, as the incumbent tandem of Aaron Dell and Eetu Makiniemi boasts a combined .900 save percentage.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Hockey Canada Names Coaching Staff For 2023 World Juniors
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship is just around the corner, with Canada once again expected to dominate the tournament with what should be a roster full of future stars. Today, Hockey Canada announced their coaching staff for the championship, headlined by Dennis Williams as their head coach.
Hockey Canada also named Stéphane Julien, Brent Kisio, and Alan Letang as assistant coaches, and Kelly Guard as a goaltending consultant.
Williams sees a promotion from last year’s tournament, where he served as an assistant coach under Dave Cameron. The 43-year-old is a two-time WHL Western Conference Coach of the Year winner with the Everett Silvertips and also served as the head coach for Canada’s “Black” team at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2018. He was also an assistant coach at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky U18 tournament.
It’s been quite the coaching ride for Williams, who got his first coaching experience immediately after graduating from Bowling Green University as a graduate assistant in 2002-03. 20 seasons and five leagues later, he gets the call to lead the reigning gold medalists at the top junior tournament in hockey.
Combined success at the World Juniors and as a bench boss in the CHL can often quickly lead to NHL opportunities. It wouldn’t be surprising if Williams found himself on an NHL bench in 2023-24 if Canada can repeat as champions.
Julien, 48, is the head coach of the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix and has held the role for the past seven-and-a-half seasons. He was the head coach for Canada at this year’s edition of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which ended just two months ago. It’s his first time joining the coaching staff for the U20 team.
Kisio and Letang return to the Canadian bench at the U20 tournament as assistants, reprising the roles that they held in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Guard’s only previous national team experience came as the goaltending coach for Canada White at the 2021 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Evander Kane Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve
After undergoing an emergency procedure following a scary incident last night, Evander Kane has been placed on long-term injured reserve by the Edmonton Oilers. Kane’s wrist was lacerated by a skate blade, pouring blood onto the ice and requiring immediate medical attention. After being transported to the hospital, the Oilers announced that Kane was in stable condition and would undergo a surgical procedure. He has now been ruled out for the next three to four months, though no other details were revealed.
With the added cap flexibility and an extra roster spot, the team has recalled Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin from the minor leagues.
In a post earlier today, Kane released a statement thanking the training staff of both the Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with the paramedics and doctors that helped to repair the injury. Though there aren’t many details on what exactly was damaged, Kane vowed that he will be back and suggested that it could have been much worse without their immediate help.
The 31-year-old winger wasn’t scoring goals at quite the incredible pace he set after arriving in Edmonton last season but he was still having a great start to the year. With five goals and 13 points in his first 14 games (including the nine shifts he had last night before exiting), he was actually on pace to set a new career high in points. His previous best was 57, set back in 2011-12, thanks to a number of seasons cut short for various reasons. Kane has never played in more than 78 games in a single season and that trend will continue with this months-long absence.
For the Oilers, losing one of your best offensive weapons is never a good situation but they do have some strong depth coming in. Both Kostin and Janmark have NHL experience, especially the latter, who has been a full-time player for the past six years. In 67 games with the Vegas Golden Knights last year, Janmark had nine goals and 25 points. Kostin meanwhile played 40 times for the St. Louis Blues in 2021-22, scoring nine points.
While neither of them can fill the role that Kane had, forward depth hasn’t been the calling card of the Oilers in years past. At least this time they have legitimate options to insert into the lineup, though there will be some shuffling required to figure out the best way forward.
Washington Capitals Activate Alexeyev; Re-Assign Johansen
After completing a conditioning stint in the minor leagues, Alexander Alexeyev is ready to return to the NHL. The Washington Capitals have activated the young defenseman off of injured reserve, while loaning Lucas Johansen to the Hershey Bears to make room.
It’s a swap of first-rounders for the Capitals, as 2018 comes in to replace 2016 on the roster. Neither one has been able to become a regular at the NHL level, with Johansen playing just two games for the Capitals since being selected 28th overall and Alexeyev making his lone appearance last season. Still, there is a little bit of optimism surrounding the 22-year-old Alexeyev, who should get a chance to secure a spot with the club starting tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In 68 games for Hershey last season, the 6’4″ defenseman recorded one goal and 19 points. He had one assist during his conditioning stint, which lasted four games. Notably, Johansen had already cleared waivers at the start of the season (and in previous years), while Alexeyev would have been at risk of a claim had they tried to give him more time in the minor leagues.
Juraj Slafkovsky Suspended Two Games
The Montreal Canadiens will be without the first-overall pick for the next few days as Juraj Slafkovsky has been given a two-game suspension by the Department of Player Safety for his hit on Matt Luff. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that while Luff does turn to face the wall, he does not do so just prior to or simultaneous with contact in a way that turns a legal check into an illegal one. From the time he crosses the blue line, Slafkovsky is looking at Luff’s numbers. The onus is on Slavkovsky to deliver this check in a legal fashion, minimize the force of the contact, or avoid the hit entirely.
As expected, the league took into account Luff’s subsequent injury – wrist surgery that will keep him out 10-12 weeks – in determining the punishment. This will be the first supplementary discipline of Slafkovsky’s young career but will now be taken into consideration whenever there is another borderline incident.
It is also the second Montreal Canadiens forward that has been suspended for boarding in just a few days, after Josh Anderson also received a two-game ban for his hit on Alex Pietrangelo. They occurred at nearly identical spots on the ice (though in different rinks), and resulted in the same discipline.
Slafkovsky will miss games against the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins.
St. Louis Blues Make Several Roster Moves
The St. Louis Blues are one of the worst teams in the NHL right now, losers of eight straight and sitting with just six points on the year. As they prepare for tomorrow’s game against the San Jose Sharks, they’ve made several roster changes.
Logan Brown has been moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury after taking a big hit and leaving last night’s game. There is no timeline yet to suggest how long he will be out but an IR placement means at least seven days. Jake Neighbours is also off the roster, this time assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.
Neighbours, 20, played a season-low 8:28 last night and once again failed to even record a shot on goal. The young forward has just one point on the season through 11 games, and seems to need some time in the minor leagues to get his offensive performance on the rails again.
In their places, the Blues have recalled Nikita Alexandrov and Josh Leivo from Springfield. The moves will give them a bit of a different look, though it’s unclear where exactly they will fit into the lineup.
Leivo, 29, has already played three games for the Blues this season, failing to record a point in limited ice time. The veteran forward has 217 NHL games under his belt and set a career-high with 14 goals and 24 points in 2018-19.
Alexandrov, on the other hand, would be making his NHL debut if he gets into the St. Louis lineup. The 22-year-old forward was a second-round pick in 2019 and had 30 points in 67 games for Springfield last season. This year he’s been a force, with eight in nine, and looks ready to be tested at the higher level.
Kirill Kaprizov Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
The Department of Player Safety is busy today. While they hold a hearing with Juraj Slafkovsky for his hit on Matt Luff, the league has also handed out a $5,000 fine to Kirill Kaprizov for his incident last night.
Kaprizov was ejected from a game against the Los Angeles Kings after he swung his stick down and hit Drew Doughty in the face and neck area. The league has called it “roughing” in the announcement of the fine, though last night they gave him a match penalty for intent to injure. That came with a five-minute major, a game misconduct, and an automatic review from the DoPS.
The Wild ended up losing the game 1-0 without their star forward but will have him back in the lineup this evening when they take on the Anaheim Ducks. Kaprizov has eight goals and 13 points through 12 games so far this season while the Wild struggle to stay competitive in the Central Division. The club is now 5-6-1 and has lost two in a row, falling into a tie with the Arizona Coyotes and Nashville Predators for fifth in the division.
Matt Luff To Undergo Wrist Surgery
Montreal Canadiens Juraj Slafkovsky might face a short suspension after his hearing with the Department of Player Safety later today but Matt Luff, the player he hit, is out much longer. Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters including Ansar Khan of MLive that Luff will miss 10-12 weeks after wrist surgery on Thursday.
Luff, 25, had seen regular action on the Red Wings’ fourth line the last little while, playing in seven games and scoring a goal against the New York Rangers on Sunday. That spot will now have to be filled by someone else for the next few months, potentially leaving Luff without a role to return to. It’s a tough result for a player still trying to establish himself as an everyday NHL player, one who played just 23 games at that level last season.
Slafkovsky, meanwhile, may actually face a stiffer penalty as the league does take injury into consideration when doling out supplementary discipline. The hit from behind that sent Luff sprawling into the boards was enough for a hearing, and this news will only create more reason to hand the first-overall pick his first suspension.
Philadelphia Flyers Re-Assign Samuel Ersson
Nov 9: Ersson has been returned to the AHL, with Zamua recalled once again.
Nov 8: Philadelphia Flyers starting netminder Carter Hart will miss tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues with an illness, reports The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. Backup Felix Sandstrom will get the start, with Samuel Ersson recalled from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms to be the backup.
In order to make room on the roster, the Flyers assigned defenseman Yegor Zamula to the Phantoms, but The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner notes it’s a temporary stay. Head coach John Tortorella likes what he’s seen from Zamula so far, and he’ll be up on the active roster as soon as they have the space.
For the Flyers, it’s an immeasurable loss to their lineup, even if it’s just for a game. Hart has arguably been the league’s best goaltender to start the year, putting up All-Star numbers behind a Flyers team that’s in the bottom sect of the league analytically. He boasts a 6-0-2 record, a .946 save percentage, and a 1.97 goals-against average through eight starts.
Ersson impressed in training camp for Philadelphia, and he’s tracking a .908 save percentage through six games in Lehigh Valley. He remains the team’s third option in net ahead of veteran Troy Grosenick, who’s off to a rough start in the minors despite a longstanding track record of AHL success.
Colorado Avalanche Recall Sampo Ranta
The Avalanche have been busy with roster shuffling this season, and their streak of moves continues today with the recall of forward Sampo Ranta from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
This move comes after it was revealed that the Avalanche would be without forward Valeri Nichushkin for a month as he recovers from ankle surgery. Martin Kaut had been playing alongside Evan Rodrigues and Alex Newhook but was sent down on Sunday. This recall paves the way for Ranta to take Kaut’s role on that line, or perhaps he will replace Mikhail Maltsev (who was also sent down) on the team’s fourth line.
Ranta, 22, was a third-round pick at the 2018 NHL draft and has been a solid mid-tier prospect for the Avalanche since he concluded his collegiate career. Ranta was a strong scorer in his final year at the University of Michigan, scoring 31 points in 31 games, and has been a modest scorer at the AHL level with 14 points in 38 games last year.
Ranta has 10 total NHL games on his resume, all coming last season. He’s in a position to grow that number in the coming weeks as the Avalanche look to stabilize their forward corps in the midst of injury troubles that have shaken up the team’s roster.