Arizona Coyotes Activate, Assign Ben McCartney
Arizona Coyotes prospect Ben McCartney appears to be ready to return to action, after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve. The young forward has been activated and assigned to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners today.
It’s already been a rather impressive few years for McCartney, who went from seventh-round afterthought in the 2020 draft to debuting in the NHL last season. He played just two games and failed to register a point, but averaged 14 minutes of ice time and registered seven hits. The former Brandon Wheat Kings standout was great in the minor leagues as well, scoring 18 goals and 35 points as a rookie for Tucson.
While he missed a good portion of training camp with a lower-body injury, McCartney is a player to keep an eye on in Arizona this year. If he can continue to develop his offensive chops in the minor league, he could potentially see some more time in the NHL with the Coyotes. At the team’s rookie camp earlier this summer, general manager Bill Armstrong told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports that McCartney (and Jack McBain) were “driving the culture” for the group.
That kind of praise from the lead executive can only be a good thing, and if McCartney shows well in another season for the Roadrunners you can bet he’ll quickly be in the mix for a regular role with the Coyotes.
Alex Iafallo Placed On Injured Reserve
The Los Angeles Kings have lost a key player for the next little while, as Alex Iafallo has been placed on injured reserve. The speedy forward suffered a lower-body injury last night against the Detroit Red Wings after delivering a hit in the third period. He limped off the ice and now will be sidelined for at least the next several games. Jon Rosen of NHL Network tweets that Iafallo is out “week-to-week” and is headed back to Los Angeles for further evaluation.
In his roster spot, the team has recalled defenseman Jacob Moverare from the AHL. The 24-year-old played 19 games for the team last season but failed to make the NHL roster out of camp. He gives the team an additional defender as they deal with a less serious injury for Alex Edler, who got hit in the face with a puck in warmup last night.
It is unfortunate news for Iafallo, who was off to a brilliant start this season with five points while registering at least one in all four games. The 28-year-old is in the second season of a four-year, $16MM contract he signed in 2021 and is one of the many talented wingers that make the Kings lineup so deep. He plays a strong two-way game without taking any penalties (he has just 14 minutes since the start of 2020-21) and offers a solid amount of secondary scoring.
Without him, the teams will have to shuffle things around a bit and perhaps give a bit more opportunity to a young player. Arthur Kaliyev (who didn’t play yesterday) is the most likely fit, though there has been a lack of trust for the 21-year-old early this year. He is averaging just over nine minutes of ice time in the three games he has played, though that has still resulted in a goal and assist for the talented young forward. An opportunity like this could be just what he needs to build on a strong rookie season, where he scored 14 goals and 27 points in 80 games.
Lukas Sedlak Placed On Waivers; Anders Bjork Clears
Despite no clear timeline on Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm, the Colorado Avalanche appear to be clearing some room on the roster. The team has placed Lukas Sedlak on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Anders Bjork of the Buffalo Sabres has cleared and will be assigned to the AHL.
Sedlak, 29, has played in all three of the team’s games so far this season, seeing fewer than nine minutes in each. During last night’s match against the Minnesota wild, he played just nine shifts and lost all four of the faceoffs he took. Helm, who would normally slot into that fourth-line center role, was on the ice today at Colorado’s option skate but was still wearing a non-contact sweater and does not appear ready to return at this point.
While they don’t need to recall someone else now that they are headed home from a road trip, the team is already at a roster of 20, meaning they can’t re-assign Sedlak without calling someone else up or activating one of their injured players. That player might be Jacob MacDonald, who has been skating as a forward with the club for the last few days after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve.
Sedlak meanwhile is an interesting waiver case, given his recent history. The sixth-round pick has starred in the KHL the last three seasons, and signed a one-year, two-way contract to return to North America this summer. His deal includes a massive $500K AHL salary, meaning he will still be making a good buck if he ends up playing with the Colorado Eagles.
The Avalanche have also sent Ben Meyers to the minor leagues, another sign that there may be changes coming to the fourth line. Meyers does not require waivers and can be recalled as soon as Sedlak is sent down, if needed.
Snapshots: Nichushkin, Keenan, Carter
The IIHF has dropped all charges related to a years-old doping allegation for Valeri Nichushkin, according to the Russian Hockey Federation. The decision follows the additional analysis of a sample given back in 2013, when he was still playing with Traktor Chelyabinsk. It had been reanalyzed in 2019 and found to have a “suspicious level of testosterone,” leading to an additional investigation.
While this wouldn’t have affected his NHL standing, it could have impacted Nichushkin’s international eligibility. He hasn’t played at the World Championship since 2017, or Olympics since 2014.
- Speaking of IIHF announcements, there’s another big name in the news today. Mike Keenan, legendary (and infamous) hockey coach, will lead the Italian men’s national team in the 2023 World Championship. The program is ramping up in preparation for hosting the 2026 winter Olympics in Milan, and has brought in a well-known name to get them on track. Keenan hasn’t coached professionally since the 2017-18 season when he was with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, and hasn’t been an NHL head coach since 2009 with the Calgary Flames. The 72-year-old has championships at the NHL, KHL, and AHL levels, and coached Canada at the Worlds in 1993.
- Anson Carter is now a minority owner of the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, as the controlling interest of the club was transferred today. Alex Campbell will serve as majority owner, while Carter, a veteran of nearly 700 games in the NHL, is just excited to be involved in pro hockey in his “adopted hometown” of Atlanta. The Gladiators start their season on Friday when they take on the defending Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades.
Evgeny Kuznetsov Suspended One Game
The Department of Player Safety has decided to suspend Evgeny Kuznetsov for one game for his high stick last night. The Washington Capitals forward will be held out of the team’s Thursday night match against the Ottawa Senators. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that this is not a careless use of the stick. Rather, this is an intentional stick swing toward an opponent that makes high contact. While we recognize Kuznetsov’s assertion that he did not mean to hit Burroughs so high, players are accountable for their stick at all times. What causes this play to rise to the level of supplementary discipline is the purposeful nature of the swing, and the location where it lands on the opponent.
When discussing Kuznetsov’s history, the video does not include his suspension for off-ice incidents, as expected. Interestingly though, it also references only one fine in his 603-game career. That is likely last season’s high-sticking infraction against Noel Acciari and means his previous fine for diving/embellishment was not taken into account as part of his relevant supplementary discipline history in this case.
After earning just a two-minute minor penalty on the play, the Capitals forward will have to sit and watch the team’s next game. With Connor Brown also missing practice with a lower-body injury, Washington could have a very different lineup on Thursday night.
Montreal Canadiens Send Cayden Primeau To AHL
Oct 18: The Canadiens have now swapped them back, recalling Schueneman and sending Primeau to the AHL.
Oct 17: The Montreal Canadiens won’t have Jake Allen available for tonight’s game as he is away from the team on parental leave, meaning it’s Sam Montembeault‘s net against the Pittsburgh Penguins. His backup will be Cayden Primeau, recalled from the minor leagues today. Corey Schueneman has been sent down to make room.
Montembeault allowed three goals on 29 shots in his first appearance of the season on Saturday night, losing to the Washington Capitals in the process. The 25-year-old netminder appeared 38 times for the Canadiens last season and is still looking for his first season with a save percentage over .900. He’s at .892 for his career, not quite what Montreal is looking for as Martin St. Louis and the rest of the squad tries to remain competitive.
In fact, Allen’s absence will shine a light on the position for the Canadiens, which remains quite thin with Carey Price out due to injury. Montembeault’s .892 is actually higher than Primeau’s .874 to this point in the NHL, though the latter’s is in just 18 appearances. The young netminder hasn’t been able to quite replicate the dominance he had at Northeastern, and was shelled for six goals on 38 shots in his AHL debut this season.
Primeau represents the only other goaltender in the organization signed to an NHL contract, meaning if someone suffers an injury, the team will have to scramble to find another option.
Frank Nazar To Undergo Surgery
Just as Kirby Dach makes his first real impact for the Montreal Canadiens, scoring an overtime winner against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the player the Chicago Blackhawks got for him is going under the knife. Frank Nazar, the prospect that Chicago selected with the 13th overall pick this year, a pick acquired on draft day in exchange for Dach, will have surgery to fix a lower-body injury and could potentially miss the entire college hockey season, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic.
Powers’ information comes from Michigan interim head coach Brandon Naruato, who explained that Nazar was already injured when he arrived at school and will be out until at least February. The Wolverines will not rush back their freshman recruit, with Naurato explaining that he won’t be back until he’s 100 percent healthy.
Nazar, 18, is a brilliant offensive talent that was picked with the Blackhawks’ second of three first-round picks. Kevin Korchinski (7th overall), Nazar (13th), and Sam Rinzel (25th) lead an impressive 11-player draft class that has the potential to drive the rebuild timeline in Chicago. Eight of the picks were in the first 90 selections, and players like Nazar have high hopes for their star potential.
Missing an entire development year at this point can be devastating to the development of a prospect. While Nazar will still be included in team activities and will benefit from the world-class facilities at Michigan, missing out on this much game action at his age can severely limit his ceiling. We’ll have to wait and see what happens for Nazar, but it’s not a great start for the Chicago draft class.
Alex Vlasic Sent To AHL
Alex Vlasic hadn’t actually made it into a game yet for the Chicago Blackhawks, and he’ll have to wait a little while longer. The young defenseman has been assigned to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, with Jake McCabe on the verge of returning to action.
Vlasic, 21, signed out of Boston University last season and stepped immediately into the NHL, playing 15 games with the Blackhawks down the stretch. The 6’6″ defender has never had much offensive upside but is a potential shutdown option for the team as they continue their rebuild. His reach and skating ability allow him to control the rush easily and break up plays in front of the net, though he’ll have to do it in Rockford for the next little while.
It’s very obvious that the Blackhawks don’t want to rush their top prospects up to the NHL during this tank season. The team has just three players – Mackenzie Entwistle, Philipp Kurashev, and Alec Regula – left on the roster who are under the age of 24. Most of their group is 27 or older, racking up playing time in an attempt by the Blackhawks to flip as many pieces at the deadline as possible.
Vlasic will get his chance, there is little doubt of that, it just might not come this season. The organization is committed to creating a winner at the AHL level, meaning it might be a full minor league season for the hulking defender.
Evgeny Kuznetsov To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
We could have our first suspension of the regular season, as Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety later today. The incident in question was a high stick on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kyle Burroughs, as he got to his feet following a scoring chance.
As Kuznetsov drives across the net with the puck, Burroughs moves across the crease and collides with the Capitals forward. As they are getting up, Kuznetsov delivers a forceful, two-handed swing that appears to connect with the Canucks defender’s face.
Not only does the video evidence look bad, but Kuznetsov also has a history of supplementary discipline, including a fine for high-sticking just last season. His only suspension, back in 2019, was for off-ice conduct that will likely not be taken into account. Still, given he has two on-ice fines and was only given a minor penalty, a suspension, in this case, seems likely.
AHL Shuffle: 10/17/22
After an unusual Sunday with no games on the schedule, NHL action is back tonight. Tonight’s games feature a Sidney Crosby appearance in Montreal with the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Canadiens, Nick Ritchie back in his old stomping grounds as the Arizona Coyotes visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a matchup of exciting Central Division foes as the Winnipeg Jets visit the Dallas Stars. With all of the action around the NHL this evening, it doesn’t put a stop to the off-ice news around the hockey world. We’ll keep an eye on all of that here.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, have reassigned goaltender Olof Lindbom to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. Lindbom, a second-round pick of the Rangers in 2018, is playing in his first North American season after spending his entire career-to-date in his native Sweden.
- After having defenseman Daniil Miromanov assigned to them from the Vegas Golden Knights, the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights assigned goaltender Isaiah Saville to the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL. Saville, a fifth-round pick of the Golden Knights in 2019, recently finished up a three-year stint at the University of Nebraska-Omaha before turning pro at the end of last year, where he got into eight games with Henderson.
- The AHL’s Utica Comets have assigned forward Xavier Parent to the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Not drafted by an NHL team, the 21-year-old Parent finished up his QMJHL career in 2021-22. After several seasons with modest point totals, Parent broke out in his final year of junior, recording 106 points in just 65 games with the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
- The San Jose Barracuda of the AHL have loaned defenseman Billy Constantinou to the Wichita Thunder, their ECHL affiliate. Already a journeyman at just 21-years-old, Constantinou played for three different teams in his three-year OHL career before turning pro for the 2021-22 season. In 2021-22, the defenseman bounced between four different teams at the AHL and ECHL levels.
This post will be updated throughout the day.