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Minor Transactions: 10/18/19

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Jack Hughes got his first NHL point and the New Jersey Devils recorded their first win of the season, topping the New York Rangers 5-2 to quiet their critics for the time being. The Minnesota Wild were not so lucky as they were dominated from start to finish by the Montreal Canadiens and now sit at 1-6 on the season. As teams prepare for tonight’s action which includes six matchups, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • Nelson Nogier has been returned to the AHL by the Winnipeg Jets, in what is quickly becoming a pattern. Nogier has already been involved in five transactions this month between the two leagues and will likely bounce up and down for a good part of the season.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Connor Bunnaman to the minor leagues after he played four games with the team so far this season. Bunnaman was rewarded for a strong preseason but failed to register his first NHL point. The 21-year old fourth-round pick scored 19 goals and 32 points for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season and will continue his development as a legitimate NHL prospect this year.
  • Curtis Lazar has been assigned to the AHL after being called up just a few days ago. Lazar hasn’t played in a single game with the Buffalo Sabres this season, but does have one point in three contests for the Rochester Americans.
  • Now that Jacob Markstrom has returned to the Vancouver Canucks, the team has sent Zane McIntyre back to the AHL’s Utica Comets. Markstrom was away for a personal reason, giving Thatcher Demko the net for a short time.
  • Danil Yurtaykin has been sent to the minor leagues by the San Jose Sharks, ending his short stint in the NHL after just four games. The 22-year old Russian winger needs some seasoning in the AHL before he returns.

Andy Welinski Placed On Waivers By Philadelphia

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Tuesday: Welinski has cleared waivers and will head to the Phantoms.

Monday: The Philadelphia Flyers likely planned to have free agent addition Andy Welinski hit the waiver wire just before the start of the regular season, when waivers is saturated with talent and teams are not as likely to make an addition to their roster. However, Welinski suffered a lower-body injury in training camp and began the year on the Flyers’ injured reserve. Finally healthy, the team is forced to place Welinski on waivers now, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, in order to send him to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. With NHL teams having two weeks of games to look at as well as injury losses in need of a response, it’s fair to wonder if Welinksi will clear waivers.

Welinksi, 26, hit the open market this summer as a Group 6 unrestricted free agent. A standout for his hometown University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Welinksi enjoyed a full four-year collegiate career before signing with the Anaheim Ducks, who had selected him in the third round in 2011. In his first two pro seasons, Welinski only played in seven games for the Ducks, instead producing at a high level as a top defenseman for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. However, in 2018-19, Welinski became a valuable depth piece on the Anaheim blue line. His split his season between the parent club and farm team, skating in 26 games for the Ducks and recording four points. However, even with his emergence as an NHL option for Anaheim, he was still far short of the 80 games needed by age 25 to remain a restricted free agents. Welinksi opted to take his talents to Philadelphia, where a young defense corps undergoing an overhaul offered the potential for another NHL opportunity.

The question now is whether Welinski’s next appearance at the top level will be with Philadelphia or elsewhere. Although the Phantoms feature other NHL veterans, such as Nate Prosser and T.J. Brennan, Welinski would likely be the next man up in the event of an injury in Philly. However, other teams may be willing to offer him a depth role right away. Given the injuries to Niklas Hjalmarsson in Arizona and Adam Larsson in Edmonton, not to mention the depth concerns in Winnipeg and New Jersey, that is already four teams that could consider taking a flier on Welinski. He may not be a household name or even an established NHLer at this point in career, but for now he’s a free option with demand for defense on the rise.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Chris Stewart

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After spending last season playing in the EIHL, Chris Stewart has made it back to the best league in the world. The Philadelphia Flyers have signed Stewart to a one-year, one-way contract and are expected to have him in the lineup tonight when they take on the Calgary Flames. Stewart’s deal carries an average annual value of $750K though the actual year-long cap hit will be slightly higher given he signed it in-season.

Stewart, 31, played most of last season for the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom, scoring 13 points in 23 games. It may be hard to remember after his last few NHL seasons that were spent bouncing around the league, but Stewart was once one of the most feared power forwards in the game. Scoring 28 goals in consecutive seasons during the early part of his career, he was an absolute force in front of the net and could protect the puck extremely well with his huge frame. His touch around the net has never really left—Stewart still carries a career 82-game average of more than 20 goals—but it’s hard to expect much of anything else at this point in his career.

For the Flyers, squeezing some bottom-six time and perhaps a few goals out of Stewart is all they will need for such a small investment. Bringing him in on a professional tryout and now signing him to a near-minimum deal means that anything he contributes is a bonus.

The team is currently 2-0-1 on the year and has young players brimming with potential waiting for their chance, but will use a veteran like Stewart to first give them some more depth in the NHL and keep those youngsters ripe in the minor leagues.

Evening Notes: Gudbranson, Lehner, Patrick, Gurianov

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With nine defensemen on the roster, the Pittsburgh Penguins are loaded in blueliners. It also can make things difficult with multiple players being forced to sit in the press box. One player that has spent the last two games on the sidelines as a healthy scratch is Erik Gudbranson. The 27-year-old has had to give way to give playing time to rookie John Marino, which frustrates Gudbranson, according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“It’s frustrating. Very frustrating,” Gudbranson said. “It’s part of being an NHL player, I guess. I’ve worked hard, did a lot of really good things this year. I feel pretty much back to what I used to be. I’ve got a few years of separation from my surgeries and whatnot. I put a lot of work into being here. So it’s frustrating.”

Gudbranson, however, isn’t taking his frustration out on the rookie either, as the veteran has tried to help Marino and refuses to give the cold shoulder to him either, recalling that Keaton Ellerby did the same thing to him with the Florida Panthers when Gudbranson was breaking into the league back in 2011.

  • John Dietz of the Daily Herald writes that many Chicago fans assumed there would be a goaltending controversy after the Blackhawks signed Jennings and Masterson Trophy winner Robin Lehner to a one-year deal in the offseason, giving them two impressive goalies along with Corey Crawford. However, Lehner is making it clear that he wants to play as much as he can this season. “No one has told me that I have come in as a backup or a starter,” said Lehner. “What I like is when you come to a team that has been underperforming for a few years after being so great, you come in to a position where you (earn) your starts. If you play well, you’re probably going to play.”
  • Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that Philadelphia Flyers forward Nolan Patrick skated with his teammates for the first time. Patrick, suffering from a migraine disorder, took an encouraging step, but still remains far away from returning to game action. “It’s still a week-to-week process, but it was real good to see him on the ice with the guys,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault. Patrick has been skating on his own for about a month. The team hopes to get him back soon and fill their third-line center role.
  • After netting a hat trick on the day after being demoted to the AHL, Dallas Stars forward Denis Gurianov now must prove to the Dallas Stars that he can be a consistent player. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro suggests that his performance tonight for the Texas Stars could suggest where the young forward is at with the organization. Gurianov, who started the season with Dallas, didn’t record a point in three games. However, his history after big games is to disappear the next.

Flyers Don't Plan To Place Nolan Patrick On LTIR

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  • While there is no definitive timetable for his return, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer that he doesn’t intend on placing center Nolan Patrick on LTIR at this time. The 21-year-old was diagnosed with a migraine disorder late in the preseason which has put the start of his 2019-20 campaign on hold.  By holding off on putting him on LTIR, it appears that Philadelphia is hopeful that Patrick will be back within the first ten games or 24 days of the season.

Poll: Who Will Win The Metropolitan Division In 2019-20?

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We’ve finally reached the end of the offseason and things kick off this week around the NHL. Exhibition games are underway in Europe and final cuts have come down all around the league. The excitement for the upcoming season is palpable, with even the most minor transactions generating plenty of interest among hockey fans.

With that in mind we’re going to ask you, the PHR reader, to give us your thoughts on the upcoming season. We started with the Atlantic Division, which seemed an easy choice for a good chunk of our community. The Tampa Bay Lightning ran away with the poll, earning a whopping 46% of all votes. With the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins firmly in the second and third spots, it may be another difficult year for Atlantic teams trying to crack those divisional playoff spots.

We’ll now move on to the Metropolitan Division, which has been dominated by one team for the last several years. The Washington Capitals have taken home the divisional crown for the past four consecutive seasons, posting at least 104 points in each. Even after losing head coach Barry Trotz to the rival New York Islanders, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals were able to fend off the rest of the group for the top spot. It didn’t do them much good as they ended up kicked out of the first round by the hard-charging Carolina Hurricanes, who should be in contention for the division lead after going all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.

It certainly won’t be easy to capture though, as the division had five playoff teams last season and could potentially be a battle between all eight clubs this time around. The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils both underwent huge changes in the offseason, while the Pittsburgh Penguins are still led by the Hall of Fame duo down the middle.

Who do you think will come out on top of the Metropolitan Division in the regular season? Can the Capitals make it five in a row? Will the Islanders complete the transformation to defensive powerhouse? Will Carter Hart’s goaltending be the missing ingredient for the Philadelphia Flyers? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out!

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Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Staal, Hudon, Kravtsov

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Many fans got worried Saturday when Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby took a shot off of his foot and immediately left the game. The good news is that the injury isn’t too serious as NHL.com’s Wes Crosby writes that Crosby is listed as day-to-day. However, that also suggests that he is questionable for the season opener.

Crosby took a shot off his leg from Marco Scandella 6:42 into the first period in Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres, and while he did skate this morning to test his foot, he isn’t necessarily going to be ready for Thursday’s home opener against Buffalo.

“Injuries are a part of the game,” said Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan. “It is what it is. We just have to adjust. I think that’s where the versatility that our group has comes into play.”

  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced that longtime veteran Jordan Staal has been named captain of the team, replacing Justin Williams, who has decided to take some time off. The 31-year-old had served as a co-captain in 2017-18 and was an alternate captain for the other six years he’s been on the team, including last season. The team also announced that Jordan Martinook and defenseman Jaccob Slavin will serve as alternate captains this year.
  • While no players has been claimed yet on waivers, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reports that the Philadelphia Flyers could put in a claim for one tomorrow as the team might have some interest in Montreal Canadiens’ forward Charles Hudon. The forward was placed on waivers this afternoon. According to Carchidi, Flyers’ assistant coach Michel Therrien was a big fan of Hudon when he coached with the Canadiens. The 25-year-old only played 32 games last season for Montreal due to injuries, but scored 10 goals and 30 points in 2017-18.
  • One of the biggest decisions that the New York Rangers will have to make in the coming days is what to do with 2018 first-rounder Vitaly Kravtsov, according to The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required). The 19-year-old hasn’t impressed enough to force his way into the Rangers’ top-six and then the question is whether he would be better off spending some time in the AHL where he can develop his skills rather than play limited minutes with New York. The team may have to decide between Kravtsov, Filip Chytil and Brett Howden, none of which have been particularly impressive in the preseason.

Metropolitan Notes: Capitals Goalies, Kempny, Farabee, Holmstrom

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The Washington Capitals may have the ability to keep three goaltenders on their roster with the suspension of forward Evgeny Kuzetsov being off the books for the next few games. However, Capitals head coach Todd Reirden said keeping three goaltenders on the roster is not the plan, according to Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan.

The team intends to start Braden Holtby in net on Sunday, but the real question is who might be his backup. Last year’s backup, Pheonix Copley remains in the mix and isn’t waiver-exempt, which could be an issue if the team attempts to pass him through waivers. However, the team also has their goaltender-of-the future in Ilya Samsonov close to ready as well and the team may want to see what they have in him sooner than later.

Regardless, it looks like the team intends to make a decision on their goaltending situation before the start of the regular season.

  • Sticking with the Capitals, the good news for the team is that defenseman Michal Kempny, who has been out with a hamstring injury, passed his conditioning skating test, but isn’t likely to be ready for the season opener and is currently listed as doubtful, according to The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir. While he still could miss some time as he tries to catch up after missing most of training camp, it’s also just as unlikely that the team will place the veteran defenseman on LTIR either. The team has options to replace him in the lineup, including Martin Fehervary, Jonas Siegenthaler and Christian Djoos.
  • The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor (subscription required) writes that it looks like Philadelphia Flyers rookie Joel Farabee may have wrapped up a roster spot with the Flyers after an impressive performance on the ice Thursday. While Farabee, who has been competing with fellow rookies Morgan Frost and German Rubtsov (as well as a host of veterans), hasn’t put up much offense on the scoreboard, he has performed impressively well as he was all over the ice and created many opportunities for the team. While it was his best game, nothing is written in stone. “You know what, if he’s not in the lineup that first game (of the regular season), it’ll be a surprise,” head coach Alain Vigneault said.
  • The New York Islanders surprised many at the draft earlier this summer when they nabbed forward prospect Simon Holmstrom with the 23rd-overall pick with many believing he should have gone in the second or third round. Homstrom, however, remains in the Islanders camp and now may decide to stay in North America this season afterall with his performance in camp so far. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required) writes that Holmstrom may stay in North America and play for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers as opposed to playing in the SHL. “That is what we’re preparing for, my wife and I,” Jonas Holmstrom, Simon’s father, said in a phone conversation on Thursday. “He can play in the AHL and in his mind, he’s willing to stay.”

Nolan Patrick Diagnosed With Migraine Disorder

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The Philadelphia Flyers released some bad news today, announcing that young forward Nolan Patrick will not be ready for the start of the season. Patrick has been diagnosed with a migraine disorder and will not travel with the team to Europe. Officially listed as week-to-week, this is a disappointing start to Patrick’s year.

It hasn’t been a smooth ride since the summer of 2016, when Patrick was crowned as the top draft eligible prospect in the world. He had just completed an incredible second season of junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings, scoring 41 goals and 102 points in the regular season while leading the entire WHL playoffs in scoring with 30 points in 21 games. He looked like the sure-fire first overall pick, but hernia surgery before the 2017-18 campaign changed everything. Patrick was limited to just 33 games for the Wheat Kings and missed the entire WHL playoffs with a leg injury suffered on the last day of the regular season. Nico Hischier ended up leapfrogging Patrick for the top spot in the 2017 draft, and his injury trouble never really stopped.

Though Patrick has played in 145 games across the first two seasons of his career, neither one was injury-free and his production has been limited because of it. With 13 goals in each season and 61 total points, some have already started to question whether he was worth the second overall pick. By any measure, that critique is unfair at this point. Patrick only turned 21 a week ago and could still develop into the first-line center that many projected him to be back in 2016. That development is contingent on getting healthy though, and starting an important season with a migraine diagnosis certainly doesn’t inspire confidence.

Hopefully the young forward will be able to deal with this issue and get back into the Flyers lineup—he still skated today, but has already been ruled out to start the year—before too long.

Waivers: 09/24/19

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With AHL training camps getting underway, many players will be put on waivers over the next several days. We’ll keep track of all of them right here:

Anaheim Ducks

F Justin Kloos
F Blake Pietila
D Patrick Sieloff
D Chris Wideman
G Anthony Stolarz

Montreal Canadiens

F Riley Barber

New York Rangers

F Phillip Di Giuseppe

Philadelphia Flyers

F Andy Andreoff
F Kurtis Gabriel
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel
D Chris Bigras

St. Louis Blues

F Nathan Walker

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