Injury Notes: Saad, Girard, Kraken, Johnson
St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad is skating Saturday after spending the past nine days on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, per Blues reporter Chris Pinkert. Saad is expected to return to the lineup for their Wednesday game against the Los Angeles Kings. He’s ineligible to play in Saturday night’s game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. It appears to be a huge boost for the Blues, who are also without captain Ryan O’Reilly as he was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list on October 26. Saad had two points in three games before being placed in the protocol, but his absence has caused him to miss the last three (that number will be made four tonight). In his absence, younger forwards such as Klim Kostin and Jake Neighbours have gotten extended looks in the lineup.
Other injury notes from around the league on Saturday:
- Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports defenseman Samuel Girard will return to the lineup for tonight’s home game against the Minnesota Wild. Expected to play on a pairing with Erik Johnson, it’s another step closer to full health for a Colorado blueline that’s faced injuries to their best two left-shot defensemen early on this season. Girard missed Colorado’s last two games after suffering an injury on a hit from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos at the end of a game on October 23.
- Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol issued injury updates today on forward Mason Appleton and goaltender Chris Driedger. Appleton was placed on injured reserve today and is now out indefinitely, while Driedger is now labeled as day-to-day. Kraken reporter Bob Condor relays information that Driedger practiced today, and could potentially work his way into game action as the Kraken have a back-to-back this Sunday and Monday. Appleton was in the midst of a rough start to his Kraken tenure, posting just one assist in seven games and playing just 11:14 per game.
- The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope reports that Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson suffered an apparent arm or wrist injury during the team’s 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and is expected to miss Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, if not more time. Johnson was playing in a top-line role, flanking Kirby Dach along with Dominik Kubalik prior to the injury with Patrick Kane in COVID-19 protocol. Johnson’s scored one goal and two assists in eight games this season. Forward Dylan Strome could draw into the lineup tonight in his place.
Vegas Golden Knights Claim Michael Amadio
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Vegas Golden Knights claimed forward Michael Amadio off waivers Saturday afternoon from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Amadio was placed on waivers yesterday by Toronto after somewhat unexpectedly making the team’s opening night roster. The 25-year-old Ontario native played just three games with Toronto before he was waived.
The acquisition of Amadio gives head coach Peter DeBoer some additional lineup flexibility as the team’s been hamstrung by injuries early on in the season. As five lineup-regular forwards (Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Tuch, Mattias Janmark, Nolan Patrick) are currently unable to go, young players like Jake Leschyshyn and Jonas Rondbjerg have been forced into action for Vegas, likely earlier in their developmental paths than the organization hoped. Patrick has been placed on injured reserve to make room for Amadio on the roster, per Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
It allows Vegas to return one of Leschyshyn or Rondbjerg to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where they’ll be much more comfortable. Amadio is a versatile forward who can play any position, and while he usually wouldn’t be a lineup or even NHL regular on a Stanley Cup-contending team like Vegas, an aforementioned injury bug forced their hand.
When all is said and done, it’s likely Amadio appears on the waiver wire again later in the season when Vegas’ health improves.
PHR Mailbag: Kraken, Golden Knights, Eichel, Tarasenko, Blackhawks, Atkinson, Coyotes Goaltending
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the slow starts in Seattle and Vegas, Vladimir Tarasenko’s hot start in St. Louis, Chicago’s struggles, Cam Atkinson’s return to form, and Arizona’s goaltending situation. If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s mailbag.
trak2k: Is it worrying that the Kraken have the lowest amount of shots per game and also not really anyone on offense who can score?
Also. do teams who do well at the beginning of the season do well at the end of the season?
An uptick in shots now has Seattle out of the basement in that regard but it isn’t really cause for concern that the volume isn’t there. The bigger issue is the second half of your first question in that they don’t have a lot of firepower. This isn’t a team built to do a whole lot at the offensive end as GM Ron Francis opted to pass on some more prominent offensive players in expansion and only added some secondary pieces in free agency with an eye on longer-term flexibility.
It’s important to hammer home that they’re an expansion team. They’re supposed to struggle. What Vegas did when they entered the league is by far the exception to what first-year teams are supposed to do and it unfairly raised the bar for the Kraken in the process. They’re supposed to be a middling team and with seven points out of their first eight games, they’re basically doing what most expansion teams do.
It’s not a given that teams that start strong will also finish strong. The good teams are generally good throughout but there is usually a team or two that gets off to a hot start and fades as the year goes on and vice versa. If you’re hoping that Seattle goes from a slow start to a good finish though, I don’t think this is the year for that to happen.
DirtbagBlues: Too early to panic in Vegas?
DirtbagBlues: Would Vegas really trade Theodore (as is being rumored since the Whitecloud and Hutton signings)? What else would they need to add to nab Eichel?
Speaking of that other recent expansion team… I’m not pushing the panic button right now. I know the statement “no excuses” tends to be applied but Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Alex Tuch are a big part of their offense and they’re all on the shelf plus there have been a litany of minor issues that have kept players out as well. When a team is icing a lineup with a combined payroll below the cap minimum some nights, they’re bound to struggle. If they were all healthy and they were still struggling, then I’d be a bit more concerned.
As for Shea Theodore’s inclusion in a Jack Eichel trade, I think they would do that. First, I think the expectation of what Eichel will get in a return has swung far too much the other way; the Sabres aren’t moving him for pennies on the dollar. The pressure point is next offseason when his trade protection comes in, not now. If he sits the season, I don’t think they’re all that concerned; it’s not as if they’re actively trying to make the playoffs anyway.
Back to Theodore, then. Vegas has to match money for this to work on the cap (the LTIR only helps this season, not in the other four years of Eichel’s deal) so someone with a hefty price tag has to go the other way. Theodore at $5.2MM is a start on that front. But he’s young enough to be viewed as a longer-term piece for Buffalo and is signed through 2024-25 which is big for them. He can be the centerpiece of a return as a result. From the Golden Knights’ perspective, they have Alex Pietrangelo, Alec Martinez, and Zach Whitecloud signed through at least 2023-24 and Nicolas Hague under control through 2026. That’s a good foundation on the back end even without Theodore.
As for what else, someone like Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, or Evgenii Dadonov would make the money work looking ahead to later in the year if Eichel is able to return for the stretch run and playoffs (LTIR shields them until that time). I’d lean towards Marchessault solely because he has the longest term remaining which makes the money situation easier to navigate. Buffalo is open to conditions on other pieces so there’s bound to be a conditional first-rounder in there plus probably a lower pick tied to that one. I could also see someone like Jack Dugan involved, a prospect whose stock has dipped a bit but still carries some potential value to Buffalo.
Johnny Z: Does Tarasenko still get traded? Does he push it or settles in with the Blues?
I’ve never really thought Tarasenko was getting traded in the first place. Sure, he may want out but with contracts like these, there’s a very fine line to navigate. At $7.5MM for this season and next, teams aren’t going to want him if he’s not producing and how he finished last year basically cratered any possible value he may have. On the other hand, he’s an important enough piece for the Blues that they weren’t going to give him away.
Now he’s off to a nice start to his 2021-22 campaign with four goals and four assists in six games. His value has certainly gone up but where’s the motivation for St. Louis to trade him? If you have a player producing at a top-line level, you keep him. Winning and success can get rid of a lot of bad blood. Will that be the case here? I don’t know but considering that it’s often easier to try to swap big contracts in the offseason, that might be the time for something to happen on the trade front but not now. At that point, teams will have a better idea if Tarasenko is truly back to his old form while there will also be the element of being able to discuss and potentially sign an extension which isn’t an option if he’s moved now.
Nha Trang: Has Marc-Andre Fleury just gotten old, or does the Chicago defense really suck THAT badly?
Why can’t it be both? Fleury is 36 and there is some volatility in starting goalies as they get older. Fleury didn’t hide the fact he didn’t want to be traded in the first place and while I’m not accusing him of merely going through the motions by any stretch, going from somewhere you loved to somewhere you don’t want to be certainly doesn’t help things.
As for Chicago’s back end, they’ve struggled quite a bit as well. Frankly, they’ve surprised me with how poorly they’ve played as on paper, that’s at least a decent group. Seth Jones has struggled mightily, Jake McCabe hasn’t quite settled in yet, and returning veterans Connor Murphy and Calvin de Haan have underwhelmed as well.
It’s also worth mentioning that in Fleury’s case, it’s four games. That’s a pretty small sample size. He isn’t going to be that bad all season long; I expect he’ll turn it around. Generally speaking, I expect Chicago will find their footing eventually; there’s too much talent on that team to be this bad all season long. When that happens, Fleury will go back to being a decent starter and that’s all they really wanted when they added him from Vegas.
AHL Shuffle: 10/30/21
With 20 teams in action on a busy Saturday around the NHL, there will likely be quite a bit of roster movement throughout the day. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
Atlantic Division
- The Bruins have re-assigned center Oskar Steen to Providence, per the AHL’s transactions page. The 23-year-old had an assist on Sunday, his only NHL appearance in 2021-22. Steen also has two points in three contests in the minors so far this season.
- Forward Zac Dalpe has been recalled from the Charlotte Checkers by the Florida Panthers, per a team tweet. The recall would put the team over the roster limit, likely meaning that Chase Priskie will be returned to Charlotte or Kevin Connauton could be placed on injured reserve. The 31-year-old veteran Dalpe has just one goal in four AHL contests with Charlotte this year, but got into 12 NHL games with Columbus last season.
Metropolitan Division
- The Red Wings announced that they have recalled center Joe Veleno from Grand Rapids of the AHL. The 2018 first-rounder got into five games with Detroit down the stretch last season and is off to a good start with the Griffins this year with three goals in five games at the minor league level. Veleno will take the spot of Tyler Bertuzzi on the roster with the winger being unable to be with the team for their upcoming games in Canada.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned winger Vladimir Tkachev to Ontario of the AHL with center Lias Andersson being activated off season-opening IR to take his place. Tkachev came over from the KHL and has a pair of assists in four games this season but has only played once in the last week and a half so an appearance in the minors will keep him fresh. Andersson, meanwhile, had six points in 23 games with Los Angeles last season and suffered a groin injury late in the preseason.
- The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Max McCormick from Charlotte of the AHL while transferring Mason Appleton to injured reserve. McCormick has seen NHL action in five of the last six seasons, compiling 13 points in 83 games along the way. As for Appleton, he suffered a lower-body injury earlier this week against Montreal.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Penguins Activate Sidney Crosby And Jeff Carter
The Penguins will have their top center back in the lineup tonight as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been activated off injured reserve and will play against New Jersey. Meanwhile, head coach Mike Sullivan also confirmed to reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that center Jeff Carter has been cleared from COVID protocol and will also suit up.
Crosby has missed all seven games this season after undergoing wrist surgery in early September to repair what GM Ron Hextall termed as something that the captain has played through for several years. The 34-year-old has averaged more than a point per game in all 16 of his NHL seasons and will be a huge addition to a Pittsburgh attack that has been down several key pieces.
One of those was Carter whose strong start on the top line was suddenly stalled with his placement in COVID protocol. The 36-year-old has a goal and three assists in four games this season while logging nearly 20 minutes a night. His playing time should decrease with Crosby returning but he’ll still play a prominent role inside their top six.
Pittsburgh had been carrying two open roster spots with just the minimum of 12 forwards so there will be no corresponding roster moves necessary to activate both players.
While this is undoubtedly a big boost for the Penguins, they’re still without defenseman Kris Letang (COVID protocol), winger Bryan Rust (who skated with a non-contact sweater today), and center Evgeni Malkin who remains sidelined as he works his way back from a knee injury.
Metropolitan Notes: Niederreiter, Reaves, Dowd
The Hurricanes had plenty to be happy about on Friday night as they ran their winning streak to seven straight to start the season but it wasn’t all good news as Nino Niederreiter suffered a lower-body injury in the third period. Speaking with reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer postgame, head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated that the winger could be “out for a while”. Niederreiter, a five-time 20-goal scorer, was off to a decent start this season with three tallies in his first seven games and with this being a contract year, any extended absence certainly won’t help his cause when it’s time to work out a new agreement. In the meantime, Niederreiter’s injury could open up a spot for Seth Jarvis to make his NHL debut.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- The Rangers are hoping that winger Ryan Reaves won’t miss more than the minimum seven days after being placed on IR Thursday, relays Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 34-year-old will be with the team on their upcoming four-game road trip and the hope is that he’ll be able to return over that stretch. Reaves has logged nearly nine minutes per game in his first seven contests in New York.
- Capitals center Nic Dowd suffered a lower-body injury in Friday’s morning skate, notes Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link). Head coach Peter Laviolette expressed optimism that Dowd, who has won nearly 60% of his faceoffs this season, won’t be out for too long. Brett Leason made his NHL debut in Dowd’s absence and Washington will need to make a roster move if they want to bring up another extra forward. Dowd could be shifted to IR if he’s going to miss at least a week or defenseman Martin Fehervary – who’s waiver-exempt – may need to be sent down and replaced with a forward.
College Hockey Round-Up: 10/29/21
While the college hockey season has been underway for a full month, this weekend marks a momentous return to the game for a number of schools. The Ivy Leagues are finally back, getting started on Friday night with their first games in 19 months. Not since before the 2019-20 NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have some of these historic programs graced the ice, as the Ivy League schools cancelled all sports last year. The decision left the ECAC, home to all six Ivy League men’s hockey participants, with just half of its teams, cost the Ivy League’s a number of their players and recruits, and left the college ranks without some of its best programs and players. That is all in the past now, as play has resumed for Ivy League elite. No. 15 Harvard and No. 16 Cornell have maintained their preseason top-20 spots despite the late start based purely on high expectations. The Crimson will jump right into conference play against Dartmouth on Friday, while the Big Red host Alaska. Princeton, who has also received some votes in the national rankings, opens on the road against Army, while Brown and Yale get started against one another. It’s good to have all of those teams back.
Recent Results
After falling just short of a National Championship last year and seeing three other teams in the top spot this season other than them, the now-No. 1 St. Cloud Huskie finally got tired of playing second fiddle. After No. 2 Michigan impressed two weeks ago but came back to earth last weekend and dropped the top ranking, St. Cloud was happy to take over. The team sits at 6-2-0 on the year, but one of those losses was a controversial overtime decision against No. 7 Minnesota two weekends ago, just one night after they handily beat the Gophers. St. Cloud then dominated the Wisconsin Badgers last week. The Huskies have proven themselves, but now comes the new challenge of holding on to the throne as opposed to chasing it.
The Wolverines still remain the biggest threat and few are regretting making them the off-season title favorite. In the in-season Ice Breaker tournament in Duluth, Michigan took down both the host, No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, and No. 3 Minnesota State, then the top team in the rankings, and did so in convincing fashion. They faced some cross-state kryptonite last weekend in No. 12 Western Michigan, suffering a loss in game one and needing OT to take game two. However, the star-studded Wolverines have shown they can skate with anyone and are still a top contender.
The Bulldogs shook off their loss to Michigan, picking up a win against an outmatched No. 8 Providence College (who also lost to Minnesota State) in the Ice Breaker and then sweeping rival Minnesota last weekend. Give the Gophers credit for their strength of schedule though, facing Duluth and St. Cloud in their past four games. Providence also got some strength of schedule credit in the latest voting and didn’t hurt their case with wins over No. 11 Denver and New Hampshire last weekend.
Amidst all the in-fighting between the other top-ten teams, No. 5 Quinnipiac and No. 6 North Dakota have flown under the radar and lander quietly into prime positions. The Bobcats and Fighting Hawks squared off with each other last weekend and by splitting the series somehow each got a boost in the rankings. North Dakota also split their prior series with No. 17 Bemidji, but a 4-2-0 record against some top competition is enough to get them to No. 6.
Speaking of quiet contenders, who had No. 10 Nebraksa-Omaha as sharing the best winning percentage in the NCAA with Michigan at this point in the season? The 5-1-0 Mavericks were off last weekend and may have only beaten Alaska the weekend before, but they’ll take a top-ten spot by whatever means they can get it.
The season really starts to take off this weekend, not only for the Ivy Leagues making their debuts but for a number of top teams like Quinnipiac, Western Michigan, the defending champs No. 12 UMass, No. 18 Michigan Tech, and a number of other teams who have four or fewer games played so far this season and still haven’t shown exactly what they can be.
The Other Savoie
The 2021-22 season was supposed to be all about Matthew Savoie. The star center for the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice is a consensus top-five pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and could easily go as high as second overall in July. His 16 points in 11 games thus far is tied for third-best in the WHL.
Yet, not to be outdone is older brother. Carter Savoie is off to a torrid start to his NCAA season and, though far too early to be worth much weight, might just be the current Hobey Baker favorite. The Denver winger, a fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2020, has taken a major step forward in his sophomore year. Savoie recorded 20 points in 24 games as a freshman, getting off to a very solid start to his college career. Through six games this season though, Savoie already has 12 points, more than half of last year’s total and one assist shy of his 24-game mark from last season. Savoie’s six goals are the same has his younger brother, but in nearly half as many games. Savoie currently leads the NCAA in points per game and is tied for fourth in plus/minus. He sits tied for third in overall scoring, but only trails those with two more games played than he has and is remarkably the only player in the country with 12+ points from a ranked team or who is a plus player.
Right now, Savoie looks like the most dangerous scorer in college hockey. He could end up being an x-factor come tournament time for the current No. 11 team in the country too. Denver should cherish it while it lasts though; at this rate, Savoie will score his way right to Edmonton next season. A team that can always use affordable secondary scoring, Savoie is on pace for a season that will make him a contender for an Oilers roster spot next year. Will all of this be enough for the older brother to steal the spotlight from his younger brother? Wait and see.
Recruiting Recap
While National Signing Day is right around the corner on November 10, most players make verbal commitments long before signing an NLI and most of those commitments stick. There has been a flurry of such news of late, some of which will become official in a couple and some that is for further down the road, but all of which is worth monitoring.
While the biggest recruiting news of the recent stretch was USNTDP standout and likely top-16 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Rutger McGroarty, committing to Michigan. However, he was far from the only draft prospect to do so of late. The following are recent commits that are all not only eligible for the 2022 Draft, but are likely to hear their names called at some point: Alex Bump (Vermont), George Fegaras (Cornell), Quinn Finley (Wisconsin), Gibson Homer (Arizona State), and Dylan Silverstein (Boston College). The latter is the most notable addition; Silverstein is currently a teammate of McGroarty’s on the USNTDP, the starting goalie for the elite development club. He now heads to a program that has been producing top young NHL goalies with regularity. Silverstein is not expected to be one of the top two or three netminders selected in July, but after his time at BC he could be a polished, pro-ready prospect in goal.
Western Michigan skipped the draft hype and grabbed a player who has already been drafted. Defenseman Samuel Sjolund, a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Stars this year, has committed to join the Broncos. The two-way blue liner is an import from Sweden who is just beginning his first season in the USHL, but already has three points and a +3 rating in eight games with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he’s playing alongside several other NHL prospects and NCAA commits. Western Michigan is not known for collecting NHL talent, with just two drafted players on the roster right now, but has been a growing program in recent years and made a statement last weekend against their powerhouse neighbors in Ann Arbor. Sjolund is joining a program that is ready to make some noise at a championship level before too long.
West Notes: Golden Knights, Eichel, Rakell, Hakanpaa
With all of the rumors swirling around the Vegas Golden Knights and Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel, the bold take right now may actually be the a deal is not imminent. There are quietly signs pointing in that direction as well. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that trade talks for the elite center did in fact heat up earlier this week, but have since cooled. Dreger notes that there is mounting pressure on the Sabres to make a move with Eichel’s camp threatening to file a grievance with the NHLPA in regards to his deferred neck surgery. GM Kevyn Adams is well aware of that threat, but won’t let it dictate how he handles what will likely be the biggest trade of his career as a hockey executive. While Dreger acknowledges that just one phone call could shift the status quo, all is quiet for the time being. On the Vegas side, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger responded to eager fans that the Sabres are not even scouting the Knights’ Friday night game. If the two sides are close on a deal that is expected to contain at least some current members of the Vegas roster given the cap implications for both teams, wouldn’t Buffalo be getting all the information they can before a pivotal trade? Sure, an Eichel trade could very well happen and maybe it does happen tonight or this weekend, but those doomscrolling their Twitter feeds awaiting deal at any moment may be disappointed – Eichel to the Knights is not done yet.
- Another team interested in Eichel has been the Anaheim Ducks. While acquiring a player of his caliber is as far from a knee-jerk move as possible, the Ducks do have some added incentive today. The team announced that top forward Rickard Rakell has been placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed upper-body injury. The team did not provide any details on the severity of the injury or the expected length of Rakell’s absence, only stating that he was hurt in the team’s most recent game on Thursday. While Rakell has the appearance of a slow start with just four points in eight games, eighth in scoring for the Ducks, he has quietly led the team in goal-scoring with four tallies making up his only four points. Rakell is also leading all forward in ice time. The dangerous winger has finished no lower than second in team scoring in each of the past four years so his absence will certainly be felt. Vinni Lettieri, recalled to fill Rakell’s roster spot, is far from a suitable replacement. With division rival Vegas suddenly “close” on an Eichel deal, is the loss of Rakell the last straw for the Ducks to get them to jump back into the race and win the Eichel sweepstakes?
- Another player sidelined out west is Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa. The big blue liner has entered the NHL’s COVID Protocol, the team has announced. He has been ruled out for Friday night at the very least with the team likely to update his status this weekend. A free agent addition brought in to add some grit to the back end in Dallas, Hakanpaa leads the team in hits and in limited ice time at that. As he continues to learn from veteran pair mate Andrej Sekera, Hakanpaa could continue to develop into a great shutdown option for the Stars. They hope to have him back on the ice soon.
Minnesota Wild Place Jordan Greenway On Injured Reserve
The Minnesota Wild placed winger Jordan Greenway on injured reserve Friday afternoon, recalling Adam Beckman from the Iowa Wild in his place, per a team release.
Greenway suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken after taking a hit from Kraken captain Mark Giordano.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo expands on the nature of a recent injury bug that’s hit the Wild, stating defenseman Alex Goligoski is out one to two weeks with an upper-body injury while Dmitry Kulikov is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
If Beckman draws into the lineup, it will be his NHL debut. The 75th overall pick in 2019 has seen his stock rise sharply and now finds himself mentioned in a trio of skilled forward prospects in Minnesota’s system, along with Marco Rossi and Matthew Boldy. Beckman has three points in four AHL games this season.
Greenway’s had somewhat of a rough start to the season with just two assists in seven games. He was expected to be a major contributor in the team’s top-six forward group after scoring a career-high 32 points in 56 games last season.
Beckman could certainly get a look playing directly in Greenway’s spot with Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno, but head coach Dean Evason could also shuffle the team’s line combinations to put Beckman in less of a checking role.
Minor Transactions: 10/29/21
The hockey world got some unexpected news this morning with the Toronto Maple Leafs extending defenseman Morgan Rielly for eight seasons. That’s certainly quantifiable as a major transaction, but many other teams and players at lower levels of hockey have made paper moves today as they deal with the ripple effects of moves at the NHL level. Here are today’s minor transactions:
- The AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have loaned defenseman Montana Onyebuchi to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, per the Solar Bears’ Twitter. Onyebuchi joined the Barracuda on an AHL contract after taking part in the San Jose Sharks’ training camp this past offseason. The 21-year-old Onyebuchi served as an alternate captain for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers during the past two seasons, and had 12 points in 20 games in a COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
- The Springfield Thunderbirds, AHL affiliate of St. Louis, added two players to the roster today in forward Nic Pierog and defenseman Nick Albano. Both Pierog and Albano had been playing with the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers, but only Pierog was under an AHL contract. He was recalled after scoring two points in two games with Worcester and has five points in 15 career AHL games. Albano was on an ECHL contract and was signed to a professional tryout agreement with Springfield. Albano had one goal in three games after not playing during the 2020-21 campaign.