Snapshots: Three Stars, Six, Chychrun
The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Dallas Stars phenom Jason Robertson taking the top spot following his back-to-back hat trick efforts. Robertson had seven goals in three games for the week and now has 46 goals and 100 points in his first 100 NHL contests. While he’s shooting an incredible 20.4 percent this season, the 22-year-old is proving he’s no fluke and should be among the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons for years to come.
The second and third spots went to Nick Schmaltz and Igor Shesterkin respectively, with outstanding weeks of their own. The Arizona Coyotes forward had an incredible seven-point night against the Ottawa Senators and has been playing huge minutes over the last few weeks, really stepping back into the offensive role he carried earlier in his career. Shesterkin meanwhile continued his historic season with three more wins and actually raised his save percentage to .942 on the year. Shesterkin leads in almost every goaltending category so far and has a 28-6-3 record to go with it.
- The Toronto Six, a PHF franchise that came into existence in 2020, has been sold to a new ownership group that includes former NHL player Anthony Stewart, Hockey Hall of Fame member Angela James and former NHL coach Ted Nolan. The Six are currently in first place in the PHF with a 13-2-1 record on the year and are next in action on March 12.
- The Coyotes still prefer to not trade Jakob Chychrun, according to general manager Bill Armstrong who spoke with The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco, but they won’t be turning down any calls. Armstrong admitted that “if someone were to offer the right assets” they would be interested in moving Chychrun, even if the “preference” is to not. Earlier this season, reports emerged suggesting that the asking price was quite high, an ask that obviously hasn’t been met to this point.
Tyson Barrie Placed On Injured Reserve; Stuart Skinner Recalled
The Edmonton Oilers have officially recalled Stuart Skinner from the AHL, as Mike Smith continues to deal with an illness. To make room, Tyson Barrie has been placed on injured reserve.
Barrie, 30, was injured in a game earlier this month against the Chicago Blackhawks and was recently listed as “day-to-day” by head coach Jay Woodcroft. Given that his placement on IR is retroactive to March 5 and he has to miss at least seven days, he’ll miss at least the next few games while he recovers.
Skinner meanwhile is set to serve as the backup tonight behind Mikko Koskinen, though many believe he should be getting a chance to play for the Oilers given their goaltending issues. The 23-year-old goaltender has a .913 save percentage in 13 appearances this season, including a 20-save shutout in his most recent game–almost a month ago against the San Jose Sharks.
Since then, he’s been playing in the minor leagues where he continues to find success. In his most recent game with the Bakersfield Condors, Skinner stopped 26 of 27 shots to earn an overtime victory against the Stockton Heat. Overall, he has a .919 save percentage in the AHL this season.
AHL Shuffle: 03/07/22
Five games grace the NHL schedule this evening, as we get closer and closer to the March 21 trade deadline. Sam Reinhart will return to Buffalo to take on his old team as a member of the Florida Panthers and in the midst of a career year. With 18 goals and 52 points in 52 games, he’s on the verge of recording his first point-per-game campaign, while helping the Panthers become one of the most feared offensive juggernauts in the NHL. As they and other teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Veleno, with the team back in action tomorrow night. The 22-year-old rookie has five goals and ten points in 40 appearances for Detroit this season, but still isn’t quite living up to the hype that made him the 30th overall pick in 2018. To make room, the team has moved Carter Rowney to injured reserve.
Metropolitan Division
- The New York Islanders have recalled Otto Koivula from the AHL, his third transaction in just a few days. The 23-year-old forward has played four games for New York this season but is still looking for his first NHL goal.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Jean-Francois Berube to the minor leagues, meaning their goaltending situation is likely clearing up in the NHL. Berube, hadn’t played since the 2017-18 season before his recent stint with Columbus, making his 3-1 record and .924 save percentage even more remarkable.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated Louis Domingue from injured reserve, but he’s headed back to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The third-string goaltender has played in just one game for Pittsburgh this season, stopping 40 of 41 shots for a win against the San Jose Sharks partway through January.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned Alex Lyon to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Lyon, 29, has played in 23 games for the Wolves this season and has a .911 save percentage. He has also appeared in 2 games for the Hurricanes and owns a .908 save percentage with the team.
Central Division
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Mackenzie MacEachern and Alexey Toropchenko from the AHL, while reassigning Dakota Joshua and Klim Kostin. The Blues have lost three in a row–two of those against teams well out of the playoff race–and obviously are looking for a change upfront. MacEachern, 27, has yet to play at the NHL level this season but does have over 100 games of experience with the Blues.
- The Minnesota Wild have activated Jordan Greenway off of injured reserve, and reassigned Mason Shaw to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in a corresponding move, Michael Russo of the Athletic reported. Greenway had been suffering from an upper-body injury, and has 14 points in 41 games this season. Mason Shaw, a 2017 4th round pick, has 33 points in 41 AHL games this season and has played in 3 NHL games for the Wild.
Pacific Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Sheldon Rempal from the AHL, loaning Phil Di Giuseppe down in his place. Di Giuseppe was recalled last month but didn’t actually get into a game at the NHL level, meaning he still has yet to make his Canucks debut. In the AHL though, the 28-year-old has 32 points in 35 games, the best offensive season of his career.
- Lukas Dostal has been returned to the AHL, this time without seeing any action with the Anaheim Ducks. The young netminder has appeared three times this season, posting a .929 save percentage and securing his first NHL win.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Latest On P.K. Subban
While the New Jersey Devils aren’t exactly true sellers, as we outlined in our Trade Deadline Primer last month, there is one name that appears to be on his way out. P.K. Subban met with Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald over the weekend according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, and was told that the team wouldn’t be extending him. That means as Fitzgerald put it, “if the move makes sense for the New Jersey Devils…I have to do what’s best for the organization.”
Subban of course comes with a huge $9MM cap hit, meaning that it would need to be a perfect fit and would likely require the Devils to retain 50 percent. But with the number of depth options that are moved at the deadline each year that don’t possess anywhere near Subban’s upside, it does seem like some teams will at least inquire about the veteran defenseman.
There’s no doubt that a 32-year-old Subban is a shadow of the player that won the Norris Trophy in 2013 and was a finalist two other times, most recently in 2018. He is averaging fewer than 20 minutes a night for the first time in his entire career and still provides risky, inconsistent play in his own end. He does have 18 points in 53 games though–none of which have come on the powerplay–and can contribute offensively when put in the right situations.
Not to be overlooked is the simple fact that Subban is right-handed, a trait that seems to be in higher demand at the NHL trade deadline than at any other time in history. There are simply not very many NHL-level right-handed defensemen available at any given time, and contenders are always looking to add an extra one for a potential long playoff run.
For his own part, Subban does have a long successful history in the NHL postseason. He’s suited up in 96 playoff games during his career and has 18 goals and 62 points in those contests. That includes a run to the finals with the Nashville Predators in 2017 and several other lengthy runs, usually logging more than 25 minutes a night. That’s not the role he would play on any acquiring team, but the experience is still valuable as the games get tighter.
An unrestricted free agent in the summer, it’s unclear what the future holds for Subban. It won’t be in New Jersey though, something that seemed obvious when the team went out and signed Dougie Hamilton to a massive seven-year, $63MM contract last offseason. With Damon Severson still in place on the right side for at least one more year (unless he too is dealt at some point) and more youth coming through the pipeline, Subban will have to find somewhere else to play next season; he’ll potentially get a sneak peek at a new market in the coming weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images`
Five Key Stories: 2/28/22 – 3/6/22
The weeks leading up to the trade deadline can often be quiet and with so many teams this season being tight to the salary cap, this past week was no exception. Nevertheless, there was some notable news around the hockey world over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.
Cancer For Top Draft Prospect: Winger Ivan Miroshnichenko has been viewed as one of the top prospects heading into the upcoming draft. Unfortunately, he has a big fight to overcome before he can think about hockey again as it was revealed that the 18-year-old has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and could miss the entire 2022-23 campaign as a result. The good news is that it’s believed to be the most common form and is curable but even with that, it’s likely to affect his draft stock in July.
Extensions: There should be an uptick in contract extensions over the next couple of weeks and that started over the weekend. First, Arizona handed center Travis Boyd a two-year, $3.5MM extension with the 28-year-old in the midst of a career year. Boyd’s previous high in salary in a single season was $800K and now he’ll average more than double that much over the next two seasons. Meanwhile, Ben Hutton went from having to start the season on a minor league tryout to securing a new two-year, $1.7MM deal from the Golden Knights. The 28-year-old has logged nearly 15 minutes a night on the back end for Vegas this season and as a result, earned a small raise on his league minimum salary this season.
Interim Tag Lifted: Chicago’s search for their next general manager is over and it turns out they had the right fit all along as the team removed the interim tag from Kyle Davidson, elevating him to the full-time role. The 33-year-old has been with the organization since 2010 when he started as an intern and has now worked his way up to the top role and had been in the interim role following the departure of Stan Bowman. Bowman has committed to a rebuilding process for the Blackhawks and has already started to rebuild the front office, parting ways with long-time executives Mark Kelley (VP of Amateur Scouting) and Ryan Stewart (assistant GM).
Del Zotto Drawing Interest: Generally speaking, players that clear waivers with multi-year contracts that wind up in the minors don’t typically garner much interest at the trade deadline. That doesn’t appear to be the case for Senators blueliner Michael Del Zotto following a report that teams are calling about the 31-year-old. Del Zotto is signed through next season with a $2MM AAV, a contract that Ottawa will either need to pay down or take a similarly-priced player back. The veteran has been quite productive with AHL Belleville, averaging over a point per game since joining them and would provide some teams with a bit of extra firepower from the back end.
Stalock To Sharks: With James Reimer out week-to-week and Adin Hill already on IR, the Sharks decided to swing a move to bring back a familiar netminder, acquiring Alex Stalock from Edmonton in exchange for future considerations. San Jose actually drafted the 34-year-old back in 2005 but that’s not what makes this notable. Stalock was originally expected to be out for the season due to myocarditis but worked his way back to full health and got into five games with AHL Bakersfield before the swap and now he’s back in the NHL. Even if he doesn’t play much, that’s still a nice accomplishment considering his situation just a few months ago.
East Notes: Penguins, Tuch, Rangers, Murray
Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith has turned his season around over the past six weeks, posting a 2.18 GAA along with a .933 SV% in six appearances. In doing so, Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that the netminder has done enough for the team to focus on other upgrades at the trade deadline, especially with the list of affordable veteran upgrades being relatively short. Pittsburgh is currently well into LTIR with winger Jason Zucker set to be back before the end of the season – he resumed skating today, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – so they’re not really able to use his freed-up space at the deadline. With limited resources, GM Ron Hextall may be better off trying to upgrade a regular depth spot in the lineup over DeSmith, a player who shouldn’t see much (if any) playing time when the playoffs roll around.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Sabres winger Alex Tuch left today’s game against Los Angeles after crashing into the post. Fortunately, following the game, head coach Don Granato told reporters, including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) that the post-game testing was “as positive as it can be”. Tuch has certainly impressed after being acquired from Vegas and has collected seven goals and 16 assists in 25 games with Buffalo this season.
- While the Rangers have been perceived as a team that has some quality trade assets, Newsday’s Colin Stephenson questions how many of those can realistically be moved. The situation between Russia and Ukraine raises questions about whether or not a team will be able to get Vitali Kravtsov out of Russia if they were to trade for him while some of their younger roster players that could move in the right trade – such as goalie Alexandar Georgiev and even forward Filip Chytil – have been inconsistent. Even with those questions, GM Chris Drury still has ample prospect capital to deal from over the next couple of weeks if he wants to add some players to help New York for the playoffs.
- The Senators have placed goaltender Matt Murray on injured reserve, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). He had a tough outing against Arizona on Saturday, allowing all eight goals but played the full game. Anton Forsberg will take over as Ottawa’s starter for the time being while Filip Gustavsson was brought up from AHL Belleville earlier today. Forsberg has been speculated as a possible trade candidate but if Murray is out for an extended period of time, that could change.
Snapshots: McBain, Oilers Goaltending, Kotkaniemi
When a team makes a draft pick to select a player who is NCAA-bound, they make the pick with the understanding that there is a potential risk of that player graduating from college and then being free to sign with another team. On that front, the Minnesota Wild have a dilemma that centers around Jack McBain, the player the team drafted 63rd overall in 2018. McBain is currently a star player for Boston College, where he has 18 goals and 29 points in 22 games this season. He is clearly a quality prospect, but the issue for the Wild is the situation surrounding their control over the rights to sign him. McBain is nearing the end of his tenure at Boston College, and is therefore very close to being able to decide for himself where he wants to sign, similar to Jimmy Vesey, who is an example of this happening in the past.
Why is this complicated for the Wild? Because McBain is a Toronto, Ontario native without much natural connection to the Wild other than being drafted by them. As Jeff Marek of Sportsnet states on Hockey Night in Canada, McBain could very well “chart his own course” and test free agency. The issue for the Wild, then, is what to do with the rights to McBain they still hold. Do they keep him with the intent on signing him, risking the potential of him leaving for nothing? Or do they explore the possibility, as Marek states they might, of trading his rights in a deadline deal to mine as much guaranteed value from their dwindling team control as possible. It’s most definitely something to keep an eye on as the deadline inches closer.
- As mentioned in the team’s Trade Deadline Primer, the Oilers’ goaltending situation should be their key priority when approaching the trade deadline. The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman examined that situation in more detail. (subscription required) The Oilers are in dire need of improvement in the crease, and the team could look to add outside help at the deadline. Nugent-Bowman floats four names as potential trade targets: Semyon Varlamov, Ville Husso, Braden Holtby, and James Reimer. He notes that Oilers’ GM Ken Holland “won’t send away top assets for rentals,” but also highlights the importance of the Oilers improving their play in net. Varlamov, Husso, Holtby, and Reimer would all be definite improvements over Koskinen and Smith, but the responsibility is on Holland to strike a deal if that improvement is to be secured.
- The Carolina Hurricanes caused a firestorm this offseason when they acquired center Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Montreal Canadiens via an offer sheet, a means of player acquisition rarely used by NHL front offices. But in order to do so successfully, they had to pay Kotkaniemi $6.1MM over one year, making it so if the Hurricanes want to retain Kotkaniemi’s rights this offseason, they must issue him a similarly-expensive qualifying offer. Kotkaniemi has had an up-and-down season, and has 11 goals and 22 points in 52 games, a 17-goal, 35-point pace over 82 games played, production that is not typically deemed to be worthy of a cap hit north of $6MM. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the Hurricanes and Kotkaniemi have had “productive talks” on the framework of a long-term contract extension, a deal that Seravalli speculates could be worth between $4MM and $4.5MM over a six or seven year term. If those talks end up in a contract with that term and cap number, it would be indicative of a significant vote of confidence in the 21-year-old Kotkaniemi, who has so far had a bit of a rocky NHL career.
Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers
As the calendar turns to March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Edmonton Oilers.
There is a lot of pressure on the Edmonton Oilers this season. The team boasts two of the NHL’s premier offensive talents, but has been unable to find any sort of consistent play, and as a result is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They sit a point behind the Dallas Stars for the second wild-card spot (with two extra games played) and two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Oilers got off to a blazing start, but then went on a brutal stretch of games that ended up costing coach Dave Tippett his job. The season is now in the hands of interim coach Jay Woodcroft, and as the deadline nears the heat is on GM Ken Holland to fix the issues with his roster in order to provide Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with the best chance to truly threaten for a Stanley Cup for the first time in their careers.
Record
30-22-4, 4th in the Pacific
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$1.96MM today, $1.96MM in full-season space, 43/50 contracts used, 1/3 retention slots used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd*, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2023: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
* Per the terms of the offseason Duncan Keith trade, if the Oilers make the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and Keith is inside the Oilers’ top-four highest time-on-ice for defenseman during those first three rounds of their playoff run, the Chicago Blackhawks will receive Edmonton’s 2022 2nd instead of the 2022 3rd they are currently owed.
Trade Chips
Much of the conversation surrounding the Oilers this season concerns their goaltending, and it’s not difficult to see why. Their tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen has been challenging, to say the least. Smith, 39, has an .891 save percentage so far this season. Koskinen, 33, has been slightly better, with a mark of .904 in 31 starts. Koskinen is more important for the deadline, though, because of his cap hit. He is on an expiring contract that has a $4.5MM cap hit, a number that the Oilers would likely be eager to ship out in order to facilitate adding additional players to a roster without much wiggle room under the cap. The issue with trading Koskinen, though, is that he has trade protection on his contract. Koskinen is allowed to submit a no-trade list of 15 teams, per CapFriendly, and that reality combined with his play this season could make him a difficult asset to move despite how beneficial it could be for the Oilers.
Pivoting from goaltending, if the Oilers do wish to make upgrades to their team at the deadline they could potentially need to part ways with players on their NHL roster to make a deal work. One of those players who could be moved is winger Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto, 23, is the 22nd overall pick from the 2017 draft who has flashed great offensive talent at the NHL level but has yet to put together his game on a more consistent basis. After a brilliant 27-game stretch with the Oilers in 2019-2020 where he had 26 points, Yamamoto struggled to re-capture that offensive spark. He has only 20 points in 55 games this season and had 21 points in 52 games last season, marks that are clearly lower than what a five-foot-eight, skilled offensive player would be expected to produce at the NHL level. But despite those struggles with consistency, Yamamoto remains a somewhat tantalizing offensive talent who has scored at a high level earlier in his career. Given his age and status as a former top prospect, Yamamoto could be a player other teams target to receive in return for the player they send to the Oilers.
If the Oilers need to create some cap space in order to faciliate bigger additions at the deadline, but moving Koskinen’s contract proves to be impossible given his no-trade protection or $4.5MM cap hit, a player who could be shipped out instead (for more modest savings) is center Kyle Turris. Turris is a longtime NHL veteran who was the 3rd overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft and starred with the Ottawa Senators from 2011-12 season to the 2017-18 campaign, when he was included in the blockbuster Matt Duchene trade. Since that point, Turris has struggled to maintain his form as an NHL scoring center. He was bought out of a massive extension with the Nashville Predators, and signed a two-year contract with the Oilers in the 2020 offseason with the idea that he could be a strong third-line-center for the club. Since signing, Turris has continued his struggles and has only nine total points in his 50 games in Edmonton over two seasons. With a cap hit of $1.65MM, he would provide some relatively minor (but still potentially crucial) savings for the Oilers if he is shipped away at the deadline.
Others to Watch For: F Tyler Benson, D Tyson Barrie, D Dmitri Samorukov
Team Needs
1) Quality Goaltending
The Oilers are desperate to make noise in the playoffs this season, something that has not really happened in the McDavid-Draisaitl era. In order to make noise in the playoffs, teams typically need exceptional goaltending. What the Oilers have received from their Koskinen-Smith tandem this season has been far from exceptional, as mentioned before. If Holland is serious about wanting his team to earnestly compete for a Stanley Cup, they simply must have a different goalie starting playoff games for them this spring. Barring some unforeseen miracle, a long playoff run will probably not be possible with Koskinen or Smith minding the crease.
2) Defensive Reinforcements
Evan Bouchard has impressed this season, but if the Oilers are to be Stanley Cup contenders they will need to add some help to their defense. Darnell Nurse is a star, and Keith has had a great career, but as currently constructed their defense is a flawed unit that rarely does its goaltending many favors. We all know that playoff hockey is a different beast than the regular season grind, and perhaps adding some muscle and experience to reinforce a defense populated with offensively-oriented players like Barrie and Bouchard could make for a more well-rounded unit.
3) Additional Scoring Depth
Looking at the situation from a strictly on-ice perspective, Evander Kane has been an important addition for an Oilers team with some issues getting reliable scoring outside of their two offensive dynamos. Adding more experienced offensive scorers to this roster could help them down the stretch as they are currently a bit too reliant on their dynamic power play to create goals. Adding some additional scoring depth should not be the first priority for Holland’s deadline, goaltending is far more crucial, but the team’s issues scoring sustainably at five-on-five is something to definitely keep an eye on.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Capitals Issue Injury Updates On Carl Hagelin, Joe Snively
The Washington Capitals have announced updates to the injury situations of two of their wingers. Per the team, Carl Hagelin had surgery on his left eye, and will be out “indefinitely.” Additionally, rookie Joe Snively underwent a procedure to address an issue in his left wrist and, according to the team, will be out “four to six weeks.”
This news comes as the Capitals jockey for position in the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture. The team has a middling 5-5-0 record in their last ten games and with 69 points is set as the clear second wild-card team at the moment, meaning they are pencilled in for a potential playoff matchup against juggernaut teams like the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, or Carolina Hurricanes.
With the losses of Hagelin and Snively, the Capitals lose two wingers with clear roles on their NHL roster. Hagelin, 33, has been an important veteran bottom-sixer for the team since the 2018-19 season and has three goals and 14 points in 53 games so far this year. Hagelin is a veteran of 713 NHL games and coach Peter Laviolette is sure to miss his mature two-way play as the team battles for a higher seed down the stretch.
Joe Snively, on the other hand, has only 12 NHL games to his name, but is potentially a more disappointing loss for the Capitals. The former Yale Bulldog is a 26-year-old undrafted rookie who has had an impressive seven points in those 12 games at the NHL level, building off of his productive 35 game run this season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he has 15 goals and 38 points.
The Capitals have a deep team and have won their past two games in impressive fashion without either Snively or Hagelin. But despite that recent success, this is clearly a team that would prefer to have those two in the fold, and this update to their injury situations will come as a disappointment to the Capitals faithful.
AHL Shuffle: 03/06/22
An intriguing Sunday of NHL hockey is already underway, including a Stanley Cup Final rematch that sees the Chicago Blackhawks host the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Seattle Kraken making their first trip to Carolina, and playoff implications already, as the Minnesota Wild, in third place in the Central Division with 67 points, host the Dallas Stars, who are holding onto the second Wild Card in the Western Conference with 65 points. Despite all the action, there are still plenty of transactions happening throughout the NHL and AHL today:
Metropolitan
Atlantic
- To make room for today’s waiver claim in Olli Juolevi, the Detroit Red Wings have sent down center Joe Veleno to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Veleno, the 30th overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, has been productive at the AHL level this season with 10 points in 11 games. At the NHL level, though, he has had to adapt to a different role, and has 10 points in 40 games for the big club.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled goalie Spencer Knight to the NHL from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Knight, 20, is one of the top goalie prospects in hockey but has struggled so far this season with the Panthers, with a .898 save percentage in 18 starts. He has been better at the AHL level in Charlotte, though, with a .917 in 10 starts, and clearly his performance was enough to motivate the Panthers to bring him back up for another run as Sergei Bobrovsky‘s backup.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled goalie Filip Gustavsson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Gustavsson has split time this season between Ottawa and Belleville. He has 13 NHL starts and a .896 save percentage in Ottawa, and 10 starts in Belleville where he has posted a .905 save percentage.
Pacific
- The San Jose Sharks announced that they have placed goaltender James Reimer on IR. In a corresponding move, they have recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Reimer had been having a solid season for the Sharks, posting a 2.84 goals against average and .916 over 34 games in net this season. Meanwhile, Hatakka will return to the NHL for the third time this season. The defenseman tallied just one assist in seven games for the Sharks this season, last playing November 18th against St. Louis. Hatakka was recalled for three days last week, but did not play. The 21-year-old has also suited up for 21 games for the Barracuda this season, recording one goal and three assists.
- The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have assigned winger Phillip Di Giuseppe to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Di Giuseppe has yet to get into a game with the Canucks this season after an energetic 2020-2021 campaign with the New York Rangers. He has been a crucial player in Abbotsford, though, with 11 goals and 32 points in 35 games.
- Edmonton Oilers interim head coach Jay Woodcroft has said, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Athletic, that goalie Stuart Skinner will be recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors because incumbent starter Mike Smith is dealing with an illness. Skinner, 23, has been a lonely bright spot in net for the Oilers this season, with a .913 save percentage in 13 games played. Skinner also owns a .919 save percentage at the AHL level.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced that they have recalled goaltender Lukas Dostal from San Diego of the AHL. The 21-year-old made his NHL debut back in January but has been in the minors for the last seven weeks and last week, had a 51-save performance while scoring his first career professional goal. Dostal will take the place of John Gibson who is out of the lineup due to an upper-body injury.
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced the recall of defenseman Daniil Miromanov from AHL Henderson. The 24-year-old has been up and down several times this season and has seven NHL games under his belt where he has an assist in just over ten minutes of playing time per game. Miromanov is in for Brayden McNabb who has been placed on injured reserve.
Central