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Avalanche To Reassign John Ludvig

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Jan. 16: Ludvig has cleared waivers and will be on his way to the AHL, Seravalli reports.

Jan. 15: The Avalanche placed defenseman John Ludvig on waivers Wednesday to assign him to AHL Colorado, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.

Ludvig, 24, has made just eight appearances for the Avs since they claimed him off waivers from the Penguins at the end of training camp. He recently spent two weeks in the minors on a conditioning stint that didn’t require waivers, and Colorado’s decided he didn’t show enough to keep a spot on the NHL roster.

His last NHL appearance came on Dec. 5 against the Hurricanes, ending a three-game stretch where he was in the lineup each game but posted a minus-four rating. The 6’1″, 214-lb lefty had one assist and a minus-three rating in five AHL appearances over the past few weeks, and he now appears destined for more time there.

A third-round pick by the Panthers in 2019, Ludvig got his first crack at NHL minutes when Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers at the beginning of the 2023-24 season. He missed time due to concussions but managed 33 appearances, posting five points and a -12 rating, averaging 11:48 per game.

Ludvig has provided little upside thus far in his professional career outside of being a physical bottom-pairing piece, not enough to stick around on the Avs. He managed two points and a minus-four rating in his eight total appearances for the club.

Assuming he clears waivers, the Avalanche will hold onto Ludvig for the rest of the season. He’s in the back half of a two-year, two-way deal and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in July, although he risks being non-tendered.

Penguins’ Tristan Jarry Clears Waivers

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Jan. 16: As expected, the Penguins announced Blomqvist has been recalled from WBS while Jarry has been assigned there after clearing waivers.

Jan. 15: The Penguins will place goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers later Wednesday, the team announced. It’s unclear if he’ll be assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton if he clears or if he’ll remain on the roster, but Pittsburgh will give other teams a chance to take him off their hands for free before they decide how to move forward with the struggling netminder.

Jarry, who allowed three goals on 17 shots in last night’s loss to Seattle, is now down to an abysmal .886 SV% on the season with a 3.31 GAA and an 8-8-4 record in 21 starts and one relief appearance. He posted a .926 SV% in five AHL appearances earlier this year on a conditioning stint that didn’t require waivers, although that hasn’t changed his confidence or level of play at the NHL level.

Now 29, Jarry finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns. Those highs led the Pens to sign him to a five-year, $26.88MM deal minutes before he was set to reach unrestricted free agency in 2023.

Just a year and a half in, they’re already trying to find ways to get out of the deal. If they can’t trade him or convince another club to snag his $5.375MM cap hit off waivers, he could be headed for a buyout this summer.

Notwithstanding this year’s struggles, Jarry’s career numbers are still quite good. The 2013 second-round pick has suited up 278 times for the Pens since debuting in the 2016-17 season, posting a 144-92-29 record with 19 shutouts, a 2.74 GAA, and a .910 SV%. He’s stopped 14.2 goals above average throughout his nine-year career and tied for the league lead in shutouts with six as recently as the 2023-24 campaign.

Without the risk of his contract hamstringing an acquiring team, Jarry would likely be snapped up on the waiver wire and would have even generated significant interest on the trade market considering his past resume. But more than three seasons remaining at a steep cap hit will likely be too much to swallow for even the most financially flexible teams if he can’t rebound from this year’s regression.

Unfortunately, backup Alex Nedeljkovic hasn’t been any better, with a matching .886 SV% in his 19 showings this season. Their best option has been 23-year-old Joel Blomqvist, who’s been in the minors for the last two months but seems ticketed for a recall after Jarry’s waiver period ends Thursday.

Blomqvist, who the Pens selected 52nd overall in 2020 and earned a spot on the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season, had a .904 SV% and saved 2.1 goals above expected in eight games early this season while Jarry was on his conditioning loan, per MoneyPuck. He also has a .912 mark and a 6-4-2 record in 12 showings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this year.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Maple Leafs Reassign Marshall Rifai, Activate Jake McCabe

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Jan. 16: The Leafs announced they’ve activated McCabe as expected. Their active roster is full once again.

Jan. 15: The Maple Leafs reassigned defenseman Marshall Rifai to AHL Toronto on Wednesday, according to an announcement from the club. Toronto now has an open roster spot, which could be used to activate fellow blue-liner Jake McCabe from injured reserve before Thursday’s game against the Devils.

Rifai, 26, had been on Toronto’s roster since Jan. 6. Serving as an extra defender in McCabe’s absence, he was scratched for all four games on his recall.

The 6’2″, 213-lb lefty has been recalled from the AHL three times since clearing waivers during training camp, but they haven’t resulted in any game action. His only two career NHL appearances came with the Leafs last season, recording a plus-one rating and a shot on goal with four hits while averaging 11:40 of ice time.

Signed as an undrafted free agent to an AHL contract out of Harvard in 22, Rifai has slowly but surely worked his way up the organizational ladder over the past three years. The feisty defender’s continued development in the minors and strong training camp performances earned him a two-year, one-way extension worth $1.55MM in September, so while he hasn’t gotten any looks yet this season, the Leafs still envision him playing contests for them in the future.

Between call-ups, Rifai has two goals, two assists, four points, 24 PIMs, and a plus-eight rating in 26 AHL games. He’s serving as an alternate captain for the first time.

McCabe, 31, has missed four games with an upper-body injury he sustained on Jan. 5 against the Flyers when he hit his head on the ice following a fight with Garnet Hathaway. It’s his second upper-body injury, both suspected concussions, since the beginning of December.

Head coach Craig Berube told reporters Monday that McCabe is “doing really well” after he skated on his own before practice (via Nick Barden of The Hockey News). The stalwart lefty has missed nine games in total due to injury this season but is averaging a career-high 20:52 per game when in the lineup.

Senators Reassign Zack MacEwen

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The Senators announced that winger Zack MacEwen has been returned to AHL Belleville. After recalling defenseman Donovan Sebrango this morning, they’re back to having an open spot on the active roster. That spot will likely go to IR-bound forward Michael Amadio, who Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports will return to the lineup for the first time since sustaining a concussion against the Canucks on Dec. 21.

It’s the second time MacEwen has been demoted this season after clearing waivers and heading to the B-Sens in November. Now in the second season of a three-year, $2.33MM contract, he doesn’t count against the cap when in the minors, but he earns the league minimum of $775K salary no matter where he plays. MacEwen doesn’t need waivers today because he’s only been rostered for six days and played twice since he was recalled on Jan. 10, his first summons since clearing waivers.

MacEwen was scratched for the first game of his recall but got into game action for the last two, posting a minus-one rating with three shots on goal and fighting Islanders veteran enforcer Matt Martin in Tuesday’s win. The 28-year-old hasn’t been a factor outside of his penchant for dropping the gloves since arriving in Ottawa in free agency in 2023, posting six points and 78 PIMs in 51 games since signing that three-year commitment. He’s been a solid offensive contributor in the minors, though, posting 16 points in 24 games for the B-Sens over the past two years.

All signs point toward Amadio replacing MacEwen as the club’s fourth-line right wing as he eases back into action. The 28-year-old has been a decent depth scoring presence for Ottawa this season, posting a pair of goals and eight assists for 10 points in 33 appearances. However, it’s not quite the production they expected after he notched 30 goals and 54 points in 140 games for the Golden Knights over the prior two campaigns, prompting the Sens to sign him to a three-year, $7.8MM deal over the summer.

Wild Activate Jakub Lauko From Long-Term Injured Reserve

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The Wild are getting at least one piece of their forward lineup back this weekend against the Predators. The team announced they’ve activated winger Jakub Lauko off long-term injured reserve, assigning forwards Ben Jones and Devin Shore to AHL Iowa in corresponding transactions after they cleared waivers earlier in the week.

Lauko, 24, has been out of action for most of the past two months with a lower-body injury, believed to be a muscle strain in his groin. The Czech depth forward initially exited the lineup in late November and missed six games before returning. That stint in the lineup was short-lived, skating in three games before reaggravating the issue and landing on the shelf again. He last appeared on Dec. 14 against the Flyers.

Lauko missed 21 games overall due to the issue. He hasn’t significantly impacted the lineup, posting four points and a minus-six rating in 24 appearances while averaging 10 minutes per game. Yet that’s still a considerable upgrade from the poor possession play and non-existent point production both Jones and Shore were providing. His return should boost the Wild’s fourth line as the club looks to get out of a brief 1-3-0 skid.

Whether they’ll be able to ice a full fourth line against Nashville in two days is a different question. They’re down to exactly $775K in cap space after the activation and reassignments, only permitting the recall of one league-minimum salary for the game. Kirill Kaprizov isn’t expected to be ready to come off injured reserve, and Marcus Johansson is now expected to miss time after taking an elbow from Oilers superstar Connor McDavid in last night’s loss, head coach John Hynes told Jessi Pierce of NHL.com. That would mean they’d be playing a forward short, even with a recall.

They could end up with 18 skaters if star defender Brock Faber is ready to return from an upper-body injury or if they retroactively move Kaprizov to LTIR to free up cap space for an additional recall. The latter is doable, as he’s already missed the 24 days and 10 games required for an LTIR placement, so he’d be eligible to come off anytime.

Regardless, the versatile and energetic Lauko now gets a chance to jumpstart his game. Acquired from the Bruins for Vinni Lettieri last summer, he has eight goals and 21 points in 107 NHL games dating back to his debut with Boston in the 2022-23 campaign.

Dallas Stars Recall Matěj Blümel, Justin Hryckowian

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Jan. 16: The team announced that Blümel is back up today as expected, but Hyry isn’t coming with him. He stays in the AHL while forward Justin Hryckowian, who made his NHL debut in Dallas’ final two games of the 2024 calendar year, gets another crack at playing time. Both are expected to play tonight against the Canadiens while Marchment remains out, and center Roope Hintz also sits after sustaining an upper-body injury in the first period of Tuesday’s win over the Maple Leafs, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Hryckowian averaged just 6:40 per game and went without a point or shot on goal last month.

Jan. 15: The Stars organization announced they’ve reassigned Blümel and his linemate, Arttu Hyry to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Dallas doesn’t play until tomorrow night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens so both forwards should be expected back on the roster by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. It largely reads as a paper transaction allowing the Stars to accrue precious cap space.

Jan. 11: The Dallas Stars have recalled forward Matěj Blümel from the minor leagues. He is expected to serve as insurance with the Stars headed for back-to-back games this weekend, shares NHL.com’s Bruce LeVine.

Blümel was recalled for a spot start in the NHL lineup on October 19th. He recorded one hit, two shots, and no scoring in the outing. The game brought Blümel up to seven career games in the NHL, combining with his six games and one goal from the 2022-23 campaign. He’s otherwise been a standout in the minor leagues, standing as one of the Texas Stars’ top scorers in each of the last three seasons. He leads the team in goals (18) and points (32) through 32 games this year. He also led Texas in goals last season, with 31 in 71 games – but his 62 points ranked second behind Mavrik Bourque’s 77-point campaign.

Dallas is dealing with long-term injuries to both Mason Marchment and Tyler Seguin. Their absences have pushed Arttu Hyry into a routine role, and solidified Bourque and Oskar Back’s spots in the lineup. But Hyry only has one point in four games, while Bourque and Back have nine and 10 points in 35 games respectively. That meager scoring could make Blümel’s change-of-pace speed a valuable asset as the Stars look to continue their hot 7-2-1 record from their last 10 games.

Devils Recall Brian Halonen

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The Devils announced that winger Brian Halonen has been recalled from AHL Utica. There was no corresponding move since New Jersey had an open roster spot, and their active roster is now full.

This is the first time this season Halonen has been summoned from the minors after inking a two-year, two-way contract extension last May. He still needs one more professional season under his belt to require waivers, so he was sent down to Utica near the end of training camp without incident.

Halonen comes up to serve as an extra forward with Stefan Noesen unavailable for tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs due to illness, the team said. Erik Haula has also been ruled out with his ankle sprain and is still a ways away from returning, although he remains on the active roster. Halonen will likely sit in the press box while enforcer Kurtis MacDermid slots in at wing instead of defense.

The 26-year-old Halonen has played 31 games for Utica this season, leading the club with 13 goals and tying for the team lead with 21 points. The undrafted free agent signing out of Michigan Tech back in 2022 made his NHL debut last season across a pair of appearances, recording two shots on goal and two hits in 16:34 of total ice time. He hasn’t gotten a real opportunity to flash any offensive upside at the NHL level, but he has been a valuable contributor throughout his time in Utica with 83 points through 135 career AHL games.

As for Noesen, it’s a brief blip in an otherwise fantastic season for the veteran winger. In his second go-around in the Garden State, the 31-year-old has already set a new career-high in goals with 17 through 45 games. The Devils pried him away from the Hurricanes on the open market last summer with a three-year, $8.25MM contract that so far looks like a worthy investment.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Three Players

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Jan. 16: As expected, the team announced all three players have been recalled from Abbotsford again.

Jan. 15: The Vancouver Canucks have sent three players back to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, in a transaction likely categorized as a paper move. Defenseman Guillaume Brisebois and forwards Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Max Sasson are included in the transaction but will likely be recalled tomorrow.

Brisebois, Lekkerimaki, and Sasson are the only three waiver-exempt players on the active roster for the Canucks giving context to today’s move. Brisebois normally wouldn’t be exempt from waivers but has already cleared the waiver wire in late September and hasn’t played in 10 or more games with Vancouver nor has he spent more than 30 days on the active roster.

The 27-year-old defenseman has spent his entire eight-year professional career in the Canucks organization and played in his first NHL action since the 2022-23 season this year. Injuries limited him to only eight AHL contests last year but he’s already accrued 23 this season scoring one goal overall. He has been quite limited in his time on ice in Vancouver, averaging 15:48 of ice time throughout just three games this year.

Lekkerimaki likely has the highest name recognition of the three players reassigned as the first-round pick of the Canucks in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s scored 12 goals and 17 points in 21 games for AHL Abbotsford this season but hasn’t been able to translate the goal-scoring to the NHL level yet. Still, he’s scored two goals and one assist in 10 games for Vancouver while being limited to only 13:52 of ice time per game. Should the Canucks trade any top-six forwards off the active roster leading up to the trade deadline, Lekkerimaki may get an expanded look down the stretch.

Sasson is the only member of the trio to register more than 10 games for the Canucks this season. He’s been an effective bottom-six winger during his rookie campaign scoring two goals and six points in 19 games. He hasn’t produced the best possession numbers, which isn’t uncommon for a rookie, but he’s quickly become one of the better defensive forwards on the team with a 94.7% on-ice save percentage while at even strength.

Senators Recall Donovan Sebrango

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The Senators announced they have recalled left-shot defenseman Donovan Sebrango from AHL Belleville. He replaces righty Max Guenette, who was sent to the AHL yesterday in what is now clear was a corresponding move.

Guenette had been scratched for five straight games since being recalled on Jan. 7, not seeing any work in his first recall of the year. The same fate might not befall the 23-year-old Sebrango, who will make his NHL debut tonight against the Capitals if Thomas Chabot can’t play after taking a puck to the face in Tuesday’s shutout win over the Islanders.

A third-round pick for the Red Wings in the 2020 draft, Sebrango appeared in the CHL Top Prospects game in his draft year while a member of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers and won a silver medal with Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The COVID-19 pandemic immediately forced him into the professional ranks in his first post-draft season. He was on loan to Slovakia’s second-tier league and then to Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. After an additional two seasons where he made negative progress on the Wings’ depth chart, spending a good portion of the 2022-23 campaign down in the ECHL with Toledo, he was shipped to Ottawa in the trade that sent Alex DeBrincat to Hockeytown.

A strong skater with a 6’1″, 220-lb frame, things have finally clicked for Sebrango this season. He’s already recorded three career-best goals, 10 assists, and 13 points in 38 games with Belleville, adding 42 PIMs and a plus-three rating while serving as an alternate captain. That’s a significant improvement over last year with the B-Sens, where the Ottawa native was limited to seven assists in 35 games and had a brief stint in the ECHL again.

Sebrango’s recall won’t result in much playing time, and it likely won’t give him any if Chabot can play. He joins Guenette and Nikolas Matinpalo in the group that’s seen recalls from the minors with injuries to Chabot, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Travis Hamonic, and Artem Zub over the last couple of months. He was already summoned once earlier this season but sat in the press box for a trio of games in November and December before being returned to the minors.

Sebrango is the son of Eduardo Sebrango, a retired Cuban soccer player who is now an MLS coach with CF Montreal. If he debuts, the Canadian national would be only the second player in NHL history with Cuban ethnicity, joining longtime backup netminder Al Montoya.

Maple Leafs Place John Tavares On Injured Reserve, Out Week-To-Week

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The Maple Leafs announced they’ve placed center John Tavares on injured reserve with the lower-body injury he sustained in practice yesterday, ruling him out of the club’s next four games.  Youngster Fraser Minten was recalled from AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction and will likely suit up in tonight’s game against the Devils.

Tavares left practice favoring his right leg after getting tangled up with defenseman Chris Tanev during a power play drill. The team later said he’ll be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.

It’s a big blow for the Leafs down the middle in particular but also for the forward group as a whole, which was as healthy as it had been all season save for the lingering absence of Calle Järnkrok after he underwent sports hernia surgery in November. Tavares had been running cold before the injury, going without a point in his last three games, but he still ranks second on the club in both goals (20) and assists (22) as he looks replenished following a trying 2023-24 campaign. His usual line with Max Pacioretty and William Nylander has outscored opponents 9-7 at even strength in over 155 minutes together this season.

Whoever moves up to replace Tavares down the middle on the second line remains to be seen. It could be the 20-year-old Minten, who didn’t look entirely out of place during a call-up earlier this season with a pair of goals and assists for four points in 11 games. His possession numbers weren’t good, only controlling 39.9% of shot attempts at even strength, but those should be boosted if he’s playing with better competition. His minutes earlier this season primarily came between Steven Lorentz and Nicholas Robertson while Toronto was dealing with injuries to nearly half their forward group.

It could also be a chance to jumpstart the struggling Max Domi, who’s shooting at an abysmal 5.5% for just three goals through 37 games. He’s still managed 12 assists for 15 points, tying for eighth on the team in scoring, but it’s not the production the Leafs envisioned from the 29-year-old after they signed him to a four-year, $15MM extension last offseason.

In any event, the Leafs are now without the services of one of their top point-getters as they look to reverse a three-game losing streak against former head coach Sheldon Keefe tonight. After tonight, three of their next four games are against divisional opponents, and they’re all potential playoff previews against the Lightning, Canadiens, and Senators.

Minten, selected 38th overall in 2022, has 10 points and a minus-four rating in 16 AHL appearances this season. He missed significant time at the beginning of the campaign with a high ankle sprain sustained in rookie camp.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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