AHL Shuffle: 12/11/21
It’s another busy Saturday across the NHL with a dozen games on the schedule including Minnesota going for their ninth straight win as they travel to Los Angeles. A busy schedule typically means a lot of roster movement which we’ll keep track of here.
Atlantic Division
- The Red Wings have made a pair of roster moves today, sending center Kyle Criscuolo and defenseman Brian Lashoff back to AHL Grand Rapids, per a team release. Criscuolo made his Detroit debut at the beginning of the month while Lashoff didn’t play after being brought up on Thursday. The moves drop the Red Wings back to a minimum-sized roster although they’re expected to have Tyler Bertuzzi back from COVID protocol for their next game on Tuesday.
Metropolitan Division
- The Islanders announced (Twitter link) that they have returned forwards Austin Czarnik and Otto Koivula to Bridgeport of the AHL. New York needed to free up two roster spots to activate Brock Nelson from IR and Casey Cizikas from COVID protocol. Czarnik has been productive in limited action with the Isles this season, picking up a goal and two assists in four games while Koivula recorded his first career NHL point – an assist – over three appearances.
- Jackson Cates has been re-assigned to Lehigh Valley by Philadelphia. The 24-year-old Cates hasn’t gotten into an NHL game this season but has been funnelled up and down from the AHL due to his lack of waiver eligibility. He made his NHL debut last season.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Kraken have recalled center Alexander True, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old was selected from San Jose in expansion but hasn’t seen any NHL action yet this season. Instead, he has been quite productive with Charlotte of the AHL, recording 18 points in 22 games. Later in the day, Seattle announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Chris Driedger has been activated from IR with Joey Daccord being sent to Charlotte in a corresponding move. Injuries have limited Driedger to just five appearances so far this season.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Jarred Tinordi Assigned To Conditioning Loan
The New York Rangers continue to employ the conditioning loan to manage their depth on the blue line this season. After Libor Hajek spent time with the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack earlier this season, it is now Jarred Tinordi‘s turn. The team has announced that the veteran defenseman is on his way down to the minors for a conditioning stint.
Tinordi’s loan is a bit more puzzling that Hajek’s, however. While Hajek, 23, is still a young and once-promising asset that could have been lost on waivers, Tinordi is a lesser risk. In fact, the 29-year-old stay-at-home specialist already cleared waivers earlier this season. There is also the fact that the Rangers have a clear top six and wouldn’t be significantly harmed even if Tinordi was claimed. Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, and Patrik Nemeth have played in all 25 of New York’s games, while rookie Nils Lundkvist has suited up for 20. Tinordi has played in only five games, the last of which came all the way back on November 21, and is averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game. Hajek meanwhile has amazing still not seen NHL action this year. With such a solid six, is it worth manipulating the roster in this way just to ensure a player like Tinordi isn’t claimed?
The counter-argument is this: beyond their current top six, the Rangers are not as deep as they may seem on defense and Tinordi is more of an established NHL value than it may seem too. While New York has been fortunate enough to not have to dive into their defensive depth yet this season, an injury or tow, especially to one of top blue liners, would leave the team exposed. Miller and Lundkvist are both very young and raw and there are more like them in Hartford. Though all very talented prospects, leaning on the inexperience of Zac Jones, Braden Schneider, or Matthew Robertson in the event of health issues on the NHL blue line would leave the Rangers with very little veteran leadership and know-how. If Tinordi was lost on waivers, only Anthony Bitetto would offer an experienced depth option. Just last year, Tinordi was claimed on waivers too. The Boston Bruins took a shot on the big rearguard when the Nashville Predators risked him on the wire and Tinordi ended up playing out the season in Boston and even suiting up in the postseason. Given their lack of veteran options, it seems that the Rangers are unwilling to risk history repeating itself.
So, Tinordi will get some play time and stay game-ready with a stint in Hartford. The move could also allow for Hajek to finally draw back into the Rangers lineup and could provide the promising Wolf Pack blue liners with another veteran mentor, at least for the time being. It’s not exactly a critical move for the franchise, but it’s a safe play for a team with their eye on finally getting back to the postseason this year.
Gary Bettman: Olympic Participation “Ultimately A Players’ Decision”
The NHL has more than a few concerns about participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. Speaking with the media, including CBC’s Joshua Clipperton, following the conclusion of Friday’s Board of Governors meeting, Commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t shy away from expressing his hesitations either:
We have real concerns on a whole host of issues… We have concerns, and we’ve expressed those to the players’ association… Our concerns have only been magnified… I actually find it difficult to believe that a player would want to go…. I don’t think that this is going to be the ideal Olympic experience in terms of the lockdowns in the Olympic Village and everything else that’s going on.
The league’s apprehension is based mostly on the continued issues with the spread of the Coronavirus, not only across the league but on a global basis, China included. The NHL has seen the majority of its teams impacted by COVID-19 already this season, including at the cost of some games. Olympic participation would mean sending its biggest stars off, out of the protection of the league’s protocols and to the origin point of the virus and to protocols that have yet to be finalized and announced. In that same vein, Bettman discussed the possibility that China could mandate a three-week quarantine for any athletes who test positive for COVID and stated that he would be surprised if any NHLer would risk an additional three weeks in the country in order to play at the Olympics. Beyond the COVID conversation, there are also a number of political red flags as the governments of both Canada and the United States have become more vocal of late about the human rights violations taking place in China.
Yet, with all that said, Bettman is standing by his word. Barring a joint decision between the NHL and NHLPA – with Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stating his expectation that the two sides would be on the same page should it reach this point – to disallow participation, the final decision will lie with the players themselves:
We made a promise to the players, and I’m going, to the best of our ability, adhere to it, understanding that there may be consequences that nobody’s gonna like… It’s not like we haven’t expressed our concerns. But in the final analysis, subject to some caveats, with all of the issues that are being raised… the players, for the most part, seem to continue to be saying they want to go… ultimately, this is going to have to be a players’ decision.
A return to the Olympics was in fact collectively bargained when the NHL and NHLPA agreed to a new CBA last year. The players have right to compete for gold if they so choose, though it is obvious that the league would rather they not. Bettman does note that more players have expressed their concerns of late, but will it be enough? That remains to be seen with time ticking away before the opt-out deadline of January 10 and the opening of the tournament in two months.
Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On Injured Reserve
Young defenseman Adam Boqvist has been sensational for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, at least when he has been on the ice. For the second time already in 2021-22, that won’t be the case for at least the next week as the club has announced that Boqvist has landed on the injured reserve with an undisclosed upper body injury. Defenseman Jake Christiansen has been recalled to fill Boqvist’s roster spot for the time being.
Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in the Seth Jones blockbuster this summer, Boqvist has already shown that he will be a key piece of new-look blue line in Columbus. The eighth overall pick in 2018, Boqvist started to show why he was considered such an elite prospect with his play in Chicago last season, but has taken his game to a new level in Columbus. Boqvist is scoring at a half point-per-game pace, recording nine points in 18 games. He’s also doing so in less than 16 minutes of ice time per night. Boqvist’s six goals is among the top five defenseman in the NHL so far this season and give of those tallies have come in the past two weeks, leading all blue liners in that span. Boqvist has totaled eight points overall in his past nine games.
Unfortunately, that hot streak came to a halt on Thursday night as Boqvist was injured against the Anaheim Ducks and will now miss “at least a week” according to the team. This is Boquist second substantial injury of the season already, as he previously missed six games with an undisclosed lower-body injury in late October and early November. While Boqvist was able to ramp up his production once he returned to full strength, there is no guarantee that he will do the same this time around. Boqvist suffered a broken wrist and a concussion last season in Chicago, missing a total of ten games – which would have been more if not for the end of the regular season. Boqvist has proven his ability on the ice, just not that he can consistently be on the ice. The dilemma for Columbus will be managing his ice time and situational use if he is deemed an injury prone player with maximizing his production given his obvious offensive ability. At just 21 years old, not to mention 5’11” and under 180 pounds, the hope for the Jackets is that Boqvist can continue fill out his frame and shake the injury bug.
With Boqvist on the shelf, Christiansen will get his first shot at the NHL. An undrafted free agent who was a late-blooming puck-mover in the WHL, Christiansen has impressed in two AHL seasons since signing with Columbus. The 22-year-old has 18 points in 21 games with the Cleveland Monsters this season and has more than earned a chance to see what he can do at the top level. With Boqvist’s offense missing from the blue line, Christiansen makes sense as his replacement for the time being, but the young defenseman has a chip on his shoulder and will be looking to make a more long-term impression with the Blue Jackets.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Detroit Red Wings
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season passes the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Detroit Red Wings.
What are the Red Wings thankful for?
A competitive team.
For an entire generation of Red Wings fans, missing the playoffs wasn’t even a possibility. A 25-year-long playoff streak ended in 2017 when the team finished 33-36-13, good for seventh place in the Atlantic Divison and 16 points back. Detroit hasn’t even sniffed the postseason since, bottoming out with a 17-49-5 record in 2019-20, one of the worst seasons in NHL history. Five years without a playoff game is a rarity for the Red Wings, with only a stretch in the 70s and early 80s to really compare it to. If you were part of the PHR Live Chats for any of the past few years, you probably saw several questions from Detroit fans asking how the team can improve and make a run–right away, not in the future.
The patience that was needed is finally paying off. The Red Wings have two star rookies–three if you consider Alex Nedeljkovic at that level–several twenty-somethings playing strong hockey and a few veterans dotting the lineup to give them structure. Things are headed in the right direction for Detroit and they are finally back in the playoff hunt. Sure, it’ll be difficult to topple the top teams in the Atlantic Division, and a wild card in the Eastern Conference is going to be difficult to obtain with so much experience in the Metro, but the Red Wings aren’t at the bottom of the standings anymore–and likely won’t be for some time.
Who are the Red Wings thankful for?
The idea of a franchise legend leaving the powerhouse program he built for a division rival just to return home and turn around a struggling franchise is the stuff of Disney, not the NHL right? Well, maybe the league can sell Yzerman’s front office story to their new broadcasting partners if he ever completes the journey and brings the Stanley Cup back to Detroit. From the moment he was hired in 2019, the Red Wings have suddenly had a clear direction to their moves and are now poised to enter another long period of success.
He’s added dozens of prospects to the system, seemingly hit a home run with at least two of his first-round picks, and cleared the books of any long-term financial commitments. The Red Wings don’t have a single player signed past 2023-24 and that’s by design. The team can now wait for the right time to strike in free agency, extend their young talent and build the roster to become a true contender. While sometimes cap flexibility is overblown because leadership still has to make the right choices with it, Yzerman certainly has the reputation to back it up. The Red Wings aren’t there yet, but he’s taking them.
What would the Red Wings be even more thankful for?
A breakout from a pre-Yzerman draft pick.
It’s not like the Red Wings only started getting top draft picks after Yzerman arrived; in fact, they picked in the top-10 both years immediately preceding his tenure with the team. Despite that, both Michael Rasmussen (ninth overall in 2017) and Filip Zadina (sixth in 2018) have already been surpassed by Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond in terms of prospect excitement. Joseph Veleno (30th in 2018) can be added to that list of top picks that still haven’t made an impact, and Dennis Cholowski (20th in 2016) and Evgeny Svechnikov (19th in 2015) aren’t even around anymore.
If there’s one thing that could really allow the Red Wings to make a giant leap forward in a short period, it’s a big breakout for one of the highly drafted forwards. Zadina especially was supposed to be a top goal-scoring threat but has just 19 tallies at the NHL level through his first 113 games. It’s important to mention Filip Hronek, who was a second-round pick of the last administration and is a very important part of the team, but there’s honestly not a whole lot else so far from those years of postseason absences.
What should be on the Red Wings’ Holiday Wish List?
Draft picks.
One more time. One more time the Red Wings should sell at the deadline, add picks to the cupboard and build out the pipeline. The team already has seven selections in the first four rounds this year, but veteran players on expiring contracts like Robby Fabbri, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nick Leddy, Troy Stecher, Marc Staal, and Thomas Greiss could all probably net them some extra picks at the deadline.
Sure, the team wants to compete for the playoffs this season, and gutting them of their entire veteran group would make that difficult, but none of the names listed above are going to be core pieces when this team is truly competing for a Stanley Cup. If the team loads up on picks for one more year, the future–which already looks plenty bright–will shine even more.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Montreal Canadiens To Terminate Arsen Khisamutdinov’s Contract
Dec 10: Khisamutdinov has cleared waivers and will have his contract terminated.
Dec 9: The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have mutually agreed to terminate the contract of Arsen Khisamutdinov, presumably placing him on unconditional waivers today to do so. Khisamutdinov is in the second season of a two-year, entry-level contract signed in 2020. A termination would make him a free agent and clear the way for a return to the KHL.
It’s easy to see why the 23-year-old forward would want out, given he’s been playing at the ECHL level so far this season. After 15 unspectacular appearances for the Laval Rocket last season, Khisamutdinov has five points in 10 games for the Trois-Rivieres Lions in 2021-22. That’s not going to keep many KHL talents in North America, though the young forward hasn’t really even proved himself at that level either. Selected in the sixth round of the 2019 draft (after going undrafted previously) he has 41 games of KHL experience under his belt, with eight points.
For Montreal, this is actually a positive, as it gives them an extra contract slot to work with moving forward. The team is currently at 48 of their 50 allotted contracts, with one more to be opened once Khisamutdinov clears and the termination is executed tomorrow.
Vancouver Canucks Make More Front Office Changes
The Vancouver Canucks are cleaning house as Jim Rutherford comes in to take over the front office. Executive director of hockey operations Jonathan Wall and assistant general manager Chris Gear have been dismissed, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic. As Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet notes, Rutherford hasn’t even arrived in Vancouver to meet the staff yet, but two more employees that have been with the team for more than a decade (two decades, in the case of Wall) are on their way out. Farhan Lalji of TSN tweets that he understands these moves were in the works before Rutherford was officially hired.
Gear has been with the club since 2010, but only assumed the AGM role in early 2020. He had previously worked as legal counsel, but was slowly given more responsibilities on the business side and then transferred to hockey operations in 2016. His focus was usually on contract negotiations and the salary cap, certainly not where things have gone smoothly for the Canucks in recent years. Still, Gear is considered a valuable front office employee and will likely find work somewhere else if he wishes to stay in the NHL.
Interestingly enough, the Canucks actually included Gear in the Jim Benning dismissal announcement as one of the members of hockey ops that would run things in the interim. Apparently, that isn’t the case any longer.
Wall meanwhile ran the analytics department for the Canucks and had been with the team for more than 20 years. It’s not clear yet if the team intends on replacing these positions directly, or executing a complete overhaul of the structure of the front office. For now, it’s just Rutherford’s office to build from the ground up.
AHL Shuffle: 12/10/21
Friday nights are often relatively quiet in the NHL, but this evening’s schedule still has seven games on it for hockey fans across the country. That includes another entry in the Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals rivalry and a mismatch in the desert. The Philadelphia Flyers will also try to snap their 10-game losing streak against the Vegas Golden Knights, while the Vancouver Canucks will try to make it three in a row under Bruce Boudreau. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Boston Bruins have returned Oskar Steen to the AHL, where he has been outstanding so far this season. The 23-year-old forward has six goals and 13 points in 12 games for the Providence Bruins, which has, in turn, resulted in his chance with the NHL club. The undersized forward is still looking for his first NHL goal, but has recorded two points in three games this season.
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
- As expected, Jacob MacDonald is back up with the Colorado Avalanche after spending just a single day assigned to the AHL. The 28-year-old defenseman has played in five games with the Avalanche this season and with Bowen Byram still out with an injury, they may need him again. Byram has been cleared for a concussion, but is still dealing with a head issue and will not be rushed by the team.
- With Juuse Saros ready to return for the Nashville Predators, the team has sent Connor Ingram back to the minor leagues. Matt Luff has been recalled in his place. Ingram finally made it to the NHL, playing two games for the Predators and stopping 58 of 64 shots in the process.
- The St. Louis Blues have moved both Ville Husso and Jake Walman to injured reserve, recalling Matthew Peca from the AHL under emergency conditions. The Blues continue to skirt the cap ceiling, but should no longer need to play shorthanded (unless they suffer any other minor injuries).
Pacific Division
- The Canucks have recalled Noah Juulsen from the AHL, after moving Travis Hamonic to injured reserve yesterday. Juulsen was one of the two players acquired in October for Olli Juolevi, but has yet to make his Vancouver Debut. In 17 games with the Abbotsford Canucks, he has just one point.
- Philip Broberg is back with the Edmonton Oilers, recalled today as the team moved Kris Russell to injured reserve. It was only yesterday that Broberg was sent down when Cody Ceci came off the shelf but he won’t be able to wait around in the minors very long.
This page will be updated throughout the day
NHL Updates Salary Cap Projections
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly held media availability today from the board of governors meeting and updated several important issues. While noting that it will be an NHLPA decision on whether or not to participate in the Olympics, and reassuring that there is no issue with the Arizona Coyotes, perhaps the firmest news that Bettman could share was that of salary cap projections moving forward.
After announcing that hockey-related revenues will reach close to $5.2B for this season, the league will indeed increase the salary cap for next season by $1MM. That means an $82.5MM cap ceiling, the same number that was projected several months ago by Daily Faceoff.
Importantly though, Bettman explained that it will not take quite as long for the players to repay the escrow debt as originally expected. The league should be made whole at the end of the 2024-25 season, meaning a substantial salary cap increase could follow that summer. That’s a year earlier than many projections showed months ago, and speaks to just how well the revenues of the league have rebounded this season.
At the start of the year, the players owed more than $1B in escrow debt to the owners, and instead of all at once, have agreed to a slower repayment schedule. The escrow rate dropped this year from around 20 percent to 17 and is expected to drop to around 10 for the 2022-23 season.
For the teams that are in salary cap trouble at the moment, still trying to negotiate a ceiling that hasn’t moved in the last couple of years, a $1MM increase isn’t going to help very much. But the expectation of it spiking in 2025-26 is good news, especially for those that are trending toward a competitive window at that point.
Cole Perfetti Loaned To Canada WJC Selection Camp
The Canadian World Junior selection camp has received a huge boost, as Winnipeg Jets prospect Cole Perfetti was officially loaned from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The Jets could have blocked Perfetti from competing in the tournament if they wanted him to continue his strong play in the minor leagues, but the 19-year-old forward will be there to compete with Canada at the upcoming event.
This isn’t the first time Perfetti will compete for Canada. He took home a silver medal last year with the World Juniors, and then was eventually selected for the World Championship team in the summer. Though he played a limited role on that NHL-level squad, Perfetti still scored twice and took home a gold medal when Canada stormed back late in the tournament.
This year saw his NHL debut, as the young forward played two games with the Jets. It also has seen even more dominant play from him in the minor leagues, with 15 points in 17 games for Manitoba. Overall, the teenager has 41 points in 49 AHL games to this point, numbers that will quickly have him rising the depth chart in Winnipeg. Selected tenth overall by the Jets in 2020, he very well could be wearing a letter for Canada at the tournament later this month.