Vegas Golden Knights Assign Daniil Miromanov To AHL
The Vegas Golden Knights have assigned defenseman Daniil Miromanov to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, according to their affiliate team.
Miromanov, who played in 11 games with the Golden Knights last year, missed the team’s training camp after undergoing offseason surgery. Now healthy, he’ll return to Henderson, where the 25-year-old Russian had a stellar 40-point campaign in 53 games.
A versatile player who can play both defense and forward, Miromanov is one of the team’s best call-up options, especially considering their thinned-out organizational depth. He still does not require waivers after signing a two-year contract extension this past offseason.
Vegas acquired Miromanov as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2021, signing him to a one-year entry-level contract after he had 29 points in 58 games with HK Sochi in the KHL. Miromanov returns to Henderson as the team’s top defender
Snapshots: Ruff, Valimaki, Segafredo
In today’s edition of their 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek name New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff as being one of the early names on the hot seat to start the year. The Devils have dropped both their opening games to the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings.
Although they’ve played well overall in both outings, they’ve gotten just a .804 save percentage from Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood, goaltending that doesn’t exactly permit you to win many games. Firing Ruff may not fix that, but some of his usage decisions have admittedly been puzzling as well. Forward Jesper Bratt, who has three points in those two games and has been extremely strong analytically to start the year, ranks sixth among Devils forwards in average ice time to start the year, behind players like Ondrej Palat, who has a -5 rating and is pointless through two games.
- PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan notes that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki will make his team debut tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs after being claimed off waivers last week from the Calgary Flames. Valimaki has been unable to play with the team due to work visa issues in the US, which still aren’t resolved, but he can play in Canada on the team’s three-game road trip through the eastern part of the country. He’s looking to secure a full-time NHL role again after playing just nine games for the Flames last year.
- The WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders today released forward Alessandro Segafredo, who will be returning home to Europe. The Italian-born forward was technically eligible for last year’s draft but was born on the cutoff date of September 15, so he’s hardly an overage prospect. He raised some eyebrows in his first North American appearance, registering 10 points in 19 games last year for the Seattle Thunderbirds, but has scored just five points in 25 games split between the Raiders and Winnipeg Ice since. Segafredo has a Swiss player license and will likely return there to continue his junior career.
Ladislav Smid Joins Edmonton Oil Kings
After playing the last several years back home in Czechia, Ladislav Smid recently announced his retirement. He’s now coming back to North America, joining the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL as a development coach.
Smid, 36, is very familiar with the area, having played parts of eight seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, and three more a few hours south with the Calgary Flames. The big, defensive defenseman spent his entire career in Alberta, making his NHL debut with the Oilers after a trade from the Anaheim Ducks (one that saw Chris Pronger go the other way), and playing his last game with the Flames in 2016.
He had just 72 points during his 583-game career and had the misfortune of never playing in a single postseason game. He’ll now try to help the next generation of players reach their dream, and perhaps even get a taste of some elusive playoff hockey.
The Oil Kings are off to a brutal 1-7-1 start after losing basically all of the top players that made them so dangerous last year.
Tyce Thompson Activated, Sent To AHL
The high hopes of a New Jersey Devils season are already being tested, after two bad losses to start the year. Fans may get at least a little bit of encouragement from the news today that Tyce Thompson has been activated from injured reserve, though he’ll start out in the minor leagues.
Thompson, 23, has played nine games for the Devils in his young career, but was outstanding at the AHL level a year ago. In 16 matches for the Utica Comets he had 15 points, unfortunately missing a huge part of the season with shoulder surgery. Now healthy and ready to go, he’ll have to once again prove himself as a difference-maker in the minor leagues before getting a chance with New Jersey.
Meanwhile, fans are already calling for the dismissal of head coach Lindy Ruff and pulling their hair out over the performance of the goaltending duo of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood. Things could quickly get out of control in New Jersey and force the team to make changes, meaning Thompson could get an opportunity at some point.
Utica is also off to a slow start, losing their opener against the Hershey Bears. They’ll be back in action tonight against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, though it is unclear if Thompson will be in the lineup.
Anders Bjork Placed On Waivers; Sonny Milano Clears
The Buffalo Sabres have placed forward Anders Bjork on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The move comes after Bjork was scratched in each of the team’s first two games. Should he clear and is assigned to the minor leagues, the Sabres would receive $1.125MM in cap savings, leaving him with a charge of $475K on his $1.6MM contract.
Sonny Milano, who was on waivers yesterday, has cleared and will be assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Bjork, 26, was given that $1.6MM cap hit by the Boston Bruins in 2020, when he signed a three-year, $4.8MM contract after his first full season. He didn’t even last the first year of the deal in Boston, before being part of the Taylor Hall trade in 2021. In Buffalo, things haven’t really gone well for the fifth-round pick. In 73 games he has just eight goals and 14 points, averaging just 12 minutes a night last season. This year he found himself on the outside looking in at a much deeper forward group, and now he very well could be on his way back to the AHL.
There’s a chance a team claims him, though it’s hard to justify passing on Milano’s $750K deal just to take Bjork’s $1.6MM cap hit. More likely he’ll have to go back to the minor leagues, a place where he has spent very little time in his professional career. After becoming a star at Notre Dame, Bjork stepped almost directly into the NHL with the Bruins, playing just 29 games at the AHL level over parts of three seasons.
The Sabres, not needing the cap room, are making this move to create room for Riley Sheahan who is about to return from injury. They are just barely over the salary cap floor as it is, even with Ben Bishop‘s contract on the books.
Nick Schmaltz Out 6-8 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Arizona Coyotes don’t have a lot of offensive skill in the lineup this season, and they are going to have even less for the next several weeks. Nick Schmaltz has been ruled out for the next six to eight weeks according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, after he suffered an injury in the team’s season-opening match against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Connor Timmins is also out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Schmaltz, 26, quietly had a very good season in Arizona last year, scoring 59 points in 63 games to finish second in team scoring behind Clayton Keller. That was a career-high on both accounts for the playmaking forward, who has been moved out of the center role and onto right wing. He managed to play just 2:26 before exiting, and now faces a long recovery timeline that will steal a good chunk of his season.
While the team isn’t trying to compete this season, it’s still not a great place to be in for either the Coyotes or Schmaltz. Like they’ve shown with the rest of their roster, the team is willing to trade anyone for the right price, and sitting on the sideline certainly won’t help Schmaltz’s market. With three more years remaining on his contract (after this one) he probably isn’t the top target for teams around the league, though if he was scoring at nearly a point-per-game again, he likely would have drawn some interest.
With their arena not yet ready to house them, the Coyotes are on a six-game road trip to start the year. After allowing 12 goals in their first two games (and 95 shots against, much to the chagrin of Karel Vejmelka), they now face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, before heading to Montreal, Ottawa, and Columbus. They won’t play at home until October 28, and won’t have one of their best offensive pieces in the lineup for up to two months.
It’s going to be a long season in the desert.
Rasmus Ristolainen Moved To Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers are 2-0 and they have only allowed four goals on the year. They’ve been able to do that without highly-paid defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury suffered late in camp. Today, they have moved Ristolainen to injured reserve and recalled Zack MacEwen and Louis Belpedio, meaning they’ll have to keep playing without the big Finn for the next little while.
Given that the IR placement is retroactive, Ristolainen can come back basically at any point. But moving him off the roster at least suggests that he’s going to miss some more time.
Many fans of the team will be excited about the move, given it brings back tough guy MacEwen, who became a favorite last season when he was racking up 110 penalty minutes in 75 games. The 26-year-old forward gives the team another player who can skate and throw huge hits, while dropping the gloves whenever necessary.
Belpedio, meanwhile, gives the team another defensive option, though the group has looked pretty good so far. The 26-year-old has played in just four games at the NHL level in the past but is a strong two-way presence in the minor leagues and is coming off an impressive Calder Cup playoff run with the Laval Rocket.
Tyler Bertuzzi Out 4-6 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Detroit Red Wings are off to a fast start this season but will be without one of their key forwards for the next month. Tyler Bertuzzi has been ruled out for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury suffered over the weekend. Bertuzzi was removed from the game on Saturday after just eight minutes and did not return. The team will also be without Jakub Vrana tonight who is away for personal reasons.
Somewhat quietly, Bertuzzi had the best season of his career in 2021-22, scoring 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games. While the Red Wings finished well out of the playoffs, he was one of the players who showed real promise, after missing almost the entire previous year due to injury. Now, approaching unrestricted free agency next summer, it was a big year for Bertuzzi, who could set himself up for a massive extension with the Red Wings or an even bigger deal on the open market.
A six-week absence certainly isn’t going to help his case, though there aren’t many players on the Red Wings roster who can replace his mix of skill and grit. In the meantime, Dominik Kubalik is getting the first crack at the first line, with Filip Zadina jumping into the second group beside Andrew Copp and David Perron. It is quite an opportunity for Kubalik, who was cut loose by the Chicago Blackhawks and signed a two-year, $5MM contract with the Red Wings. He has averaged just 12 minutes of ice time through the first two games but did score on Saturday and has shown an ability to skate with good players in the past.
As a rookie, Kubalik scored 30 goals playing mostly with Jonathan Toews. If he can find that same kind of chemistry with Dylan Larkin, perhaps he can rediscover that scoring touch on a more regular basis.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Nick Perbix
After signing him to an entry-level contract just a few months ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning are now giving Nick Perbix his first chance in the NHL. The sixth-round pick has been recalled today after the Lightning sent Trevor Carrick back to the minor leagues yesterday.
Perbix, 24, was drafted way back in 2017 but played a year in the USHL and then four seasons at St. Cloud State following his selection. Last year he joined the Syracuse Crunch down the stretch and played well, racking up eight points in 12 regular season games. The 6’2″ right-handed defenseman is a nice all-around depth piece for the team to be able to call on, and gives them four right-handed defensemen on the roster.
With Hayden Fleury and Philippe Myers both playing fewer than 13 minutes against the Pittsburgh Penguins over the weekend, there could be a couple of changes for the Lightning this week. Ian Cole has been reinstated following the league investigation into sexual assault allegations found no evidence, and now Perbix has been recalled after two games in the minor leagues.
Tampa Bay is 1-2 on the year and has given up 11 goals in those three games, including six against the Penguins.
No Rush To Patrick Kane Trade Talks
The Chicago Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 over the weekend, bringing their record to 1-2 on the young season. Already the team has actually looked better than advertised, but that still likely won’t be enough to keep them out of the bottom of the standings. The simple fact is that they are trying to lose, and even with some encouraging early performances (especially from captain Jonathan Toews), the team’s skill and depth have been stripped as they enter a full rebuild.
That continues to lead to questions about the future of Patrick Kane, who has just one point in those three games and is playing just 19 minutes a night. In discussion with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Kane’s agent Pat Brisson of CAA Sports compares the situation to the one that played out in Philadelphia last season with Flyers captain Claude Giroux. The superstar forward had played his whole career with one team, but it was obvious that there would not be a future between the two sides, and the Flyers weren’t going to be competitive.
Giroux eventually accepted a deal at the deadline, and that’s exactly the way it appears to be going with Kane. Brisson says they will “probably explore things at the appropriate time” later in the year, and once again confirmed that the Blackhawks have not and will not pressure his client into waiving his no-trade clause.
While LeBrun suggests that there could be some benefit in getting Kane earlier, it is important to remember the cap effects. Every day that passes means an acquiring team has more room to pay for the star winger, meaning more contenders could potentially enter the fray. With a full no-movement clause Kane will be in charge of the destination (as Giroux was), but perhaps teams that weren’t expected to be in the mix will emerge over the next few months.
Either way, it sounds as though there is a real chance that the market has a Hall of Fame prize this year, as Kane is still one of the very best offensive pieces in the league. Last season, he scored 26 goals and 92 points in 78 games, the third-best total of his career.
There is also the question of what happens after this season is over. In Giroux’s case, he took his family back home after a short trip in the sun and signed with the Ottawa Senators. Buffalo Sabres fans will certainly like the sounds of that, given Kane is from the city. He did also live in Detroit as a teenager, and the Red Wings are another emerging club. LeBrun points to the New York Rangers and New York Islanders as two teams who will likely have interest if he hits the market as a trade piece.
Regardless, this will be an interesting few months for hockey fans to keep an eye on the Blackhawks, even if they aren’t winning very many games.