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Minor Transactions: 03/23/18

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While you get ready for some big matchups around the league tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here. Keep checking back throughout the day to stay up to date on your favorite team.

  • Libor Sulak is coming over from Europe to join the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Czech free agent defenseman signed with Detroit last spring, but spent this season playing in Finland where he recorded 32 points in 42 games. The 24-year old will test his skills at the AHL level down the stretch, and battle for a spot with the Red Wings next year.
  • Because it’s another day that ends in “Y”, Tim Heed has been recalled once again by the San Jose Sharks. Heed has been bouncing up and down constantly for the last few weeks, but hasn’t played since February 25th.
  • Filip Gustavsson has been officially added to the Belleville Senators roster as expected, after paperwork was filed to bring him to North America. The young goaltender was the big addition at the trade deadline for the Ottawa Senators, who believe he can be an NHL goaltender (not so far) down the road.
  • Brad Malone is back up with the Edmonton Oilers under emergency conditions, rejoining the team after just sending him down yesterday. The 28-year old forward likely never left the club, and was just part of a paper transaction for the game last night.
  • With Marc-Andre Fleury back in the Vegas crease, Oscar Dansk has been returned to the Chicago Wolves. Dansk has played just four games for the Golden Knights this year, but carries a .946 save percentage and even recorded a shutout. The 24-year old goaltender will likely be the first call should Malcolm Subban or Fleury experience an injury in the postseason.
  • Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, as the team tries to make one last push towards the playoffs. Blais has 35 points in 35 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season, and three points during his short time in the NHL.
  • With Dominik Simon healthy enough to resume playing, the Pittsburgh Penguins have sent his interim roster spot replacement, Josh Jooris, back to the AHL. Jooris, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline, has yet to record a point with the Pens in four games.

Minor Transactions: 3/18/18

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The Tampa Bay Lightning look to bounce back from a shutout loss to the injury-riddled Boston Bruins, the Vegas Golden Knights try to right the ship after a 4-5-1 run, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers jockey for playoff positions, and the St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks, and Calgary Flames look to stay alive in the postseason picture as the NHL provides a slate of eight intriguing games today. Here is how teams are preparing:

  • The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned Justin Bailey to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. However, beat writer John Vogl indicates that it could be short-term. Bailey owes the AHL a one-game suspension, which he will serve tonight, but Vogl expects he could be back up with the Sabres on Monday. Buffalo is far outside the playoff picture and should be playing as many of their young players as possible down the stretch.
  • With Carter Rowney dealing with injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Josh Jooris on an emergency basis. Jooris was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline in an exchange for Greg McKegg, but was not expected to play much of a role for Pittsburgh. Yet, he’s already played in two games for the Penguins and could take on a regular role on the fourth line moving forward.
  • CapFriendly tweets the Colorado Avalanche have activated forward Vladislav Kamenev off of injured reserve and is already playing with the team’s fourth line Sunday. Kamenev, who broke his arm in November one NHL after he was traded from Nashville in the Matt Duchene trade, has only played 17 AHL games between Milwaukee and San Antonio, putting up three goals and 13 assists. He had been on a conditioning loan with San Antonio for the past week.
  • CapFriendly reported that the San Jose Sharks have recalled defenseman Tim Heed from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL after being sent down Tuesday. Heed has served as a spare defenseman for most of the season for the Sharks as he’s played in 29 games this year, having put up three goals and eight assists.

Devils’ Fitzgerald, Penguins’ Guerin Also Out Of Carolina GM Search

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New Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon probably did not expect this process to be so hard. After Los Angles Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa joined Nashville Predators Assistant GM Paul Fenton in dropping out of the running to be the next Hurricanes GM early yesterday, two more names are off the list. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reached out to a potential candidate, New Jersey Devils Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, and found that he too had pulled out of the search. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun hears Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant GM Bill Guerin also declined to get involved in the process.

Fitzgerald, 49, had a long NHL career, lasting from 1988 to 2006, and then joined the Penguins front office in 2007. He has been the AGM of the Devils since 2015. The experienced hockey mind comes from a strong hockey bloodline and has two sons, Ryan and Casey, with NHL potential. There are many reasons why Fitzgerald would be a strong hire and he certainly seems to have a GM title in his future, but it won’t be with Carolina. Fitzgerald simply told Friedman “This is nothing against Tom Dundon. I am very happy in New Jersey and this is not the right time for me.” Guerin, 47, is in a similar boat. LeBrun states that he too felt the timing was wrong. Guerin himself was a successful NHLer for nearly 20 years and has been with the Penguins organization since 2009, having been promoted to AGM in 2014. Many see Guerin as the heir apparent to 69-year-old Pens GM Jim Rutherford.

These continued rejections have changed Dundon’s frame of mind for his hunt for Ron Francis’ replacement. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports this morning that the team is “shifting gears” and will wait until the off-season to continue their search. LeBrun speculated that this may change the “timing is wrong” feeling from some of these candidates. However, of the three remaining names on the short list reported by Friedman, only one – Buffalo’s Steve Greeley – is currently employed by an NHL team other than Carolina, while the other two candidates are ’Canes Assistant GM Mike Vellucci and former Canucks executive Laurence Gilman. More than anything, the pause could be Dundon re-thinking the whole situation. It certainly hasn’t been a smooth process so far for the NHL’s newest owner.

Matt Murray Making "Significant Progress" In His Concussion Recovery

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  • Penguins goaltender Matt Murray is making “significant progress” in his recovery from a concussion, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He has participated in at least part of practice for the second straight day although there is no firm timetable for his return to action.  Sullivan added that they don’t have a set number of starts that they would like Murray to receive between now and the playoffs; including tonight’s game against the Rangers, Pittsburgh has a dozen games left this season.

Injuries Piling Up For Pittsburgh Penguins

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As the Pittsburgh Penguins march towards the playoffs and an attempt at a third straight Stanley Cup Championship, the injury list is beginning to crowd. The team announced today that Bryan Rust is dealing with a concussion, Dominik Simon is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and that Zach Aston-Reese and Matt Murray are “making progress.”

Obviously there are other players on the Penguins whose absence would be more noticeable, but don’t underestimate the impact of losing several depth players at one time. Rust’s importance to the team is sometimes understated, but with 33 points this season and the ability to play in every situation, he’ll be missed over the last few weeks of the season.

Aston-Reese and Simon have taken turns on the top line at times this season, and will force the Penguins to insert Josh Jooris into the lineup should they not be able to make a quick recovery. Riley Sheahan might end up moving to wing to fill out the line with Phil Kessel and Derick Brassard.

Murray of course is a huge wildcard for the Penguins. The young goaltender has won a Stanley Cup in each of his first two postseasons, but has battled injury throughout his short career. This year he has just a .909 save percentage even when healthy, giving way to Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith to try and show that they could be relied upon in a postseason start. The idea of going through the playoffs with two goaltenders with such little experience is probably not what Jim Rutherford was hoping for, but it may be his only option if Murray isn’t able to come back and prove his health. Even if he does return before long, it will be interesting to see if he can ramp up his game once again for the chance to three-peat as Cup champions.

Minor Transactions : 03/08/18

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Some minor transactions from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Michael Hutchinson, bringing up the goaltender once again as Steve Mason is dealing with a new injury. Mason suffered a lower-body injury at practice, but it’s not clear how long he’ll be out. Hutchinson will get a chance to backup Connor Hellebuyck once again.
  • Carolina has sent Lucas Wallmark back down to the minor leagues, where he’s done most of his damage this season. The 22-year old forward has one point in 11 games with the Hurricanes, but 36 in 32 games with the Charlotte Checkers.
  • Tomas Hyka is back up after a two day absence from the Vegas Golden Knights. While Reilly Smith deals with a minor injury and will miss tonight’s game, Hyka could get another chance to prove he belongs in the NHL. The 24-year old Czech forward has two points in six games with the Golden Knights this season
  • Josh Jooris has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Pittsburgh Penguins, as Bryan Rust and Dominik Simon deal with injuries. Jooris was acquired at the trade deadline for this type of situation, to give the Penguins some NHL experience that could step in in case of injury.

Sam Lafferty Signs Entry-Level Contract With Pittsburgh Penguins

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After Brown University was eliminated from the ECAC hockey tournament on Sunday, Sam Lafferty has signed his two-year entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lafferty played four years at Brown, and could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Because of his age, a two-year contract was the only thing Pittsburgh could offer.

Selected in the fourth round in 2014, Lafferty has led Brown in scoring the past two seasons and will join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the remainder of the season on an amateur tryout. The 6’1″ winger is an excellent athlete that could have a future as a bottom-six player for the Penguins, though they’ll try to coax even more than that out of him at the minor league level. Pittsburgh has had a good run with college players of late, and hope the 23-year old Lafferty is just the latest example to make a quick transition to professional hockey.

Mark Divver of the Providence Journal broke the news on Twitter ahead of time.

Undrafted Free Agent Signings Dominating Juniors

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Given that each team generally has seven chances to makes a pick in the NHL Draft each year resulting in, until recently, 210 selections, and now 217 moving forward, the bulk of top players in the league come through the draft process. However, no matter the level – Canadian juniors, American juniors and the NCAA, and Europe – there are always players that slip through the crack. Sometimes those particular players don’t slip too far. Case in point: take a look at some of the top players in the CHL this season. A significant proportion of 2017-18’s most valuable players in the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL are not just undrafted, but have also already signed with an NHL team.

In the Ontario League, Aaron Luchuk is the poster boy for the year of undrafted signings. The 20-year-old Barrie Colts center signed an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators back in December. He’s rewarded them for taking a gamble on him by leading the league with 105 points thus far, including a league-leading 45 goals. This has been a major step up in his production of 60 points in 68 games in 2016-17. The 5’10” forward’s next step will be trying his hand at the AHL next season. Not far behind Luchuk is Sam Miletic, a fellow 20-year-old forward playing for the Niagara Ice Dogs. Miletic is fifth in the OHL with 86 points and also brings a good defensive sense to his game. Miletic signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in September after recording 55 points in 65 games with the London Knights last season; Miletic had 54 points in just 35 games with London prior to being traded mid-season. Undrafted netminders are also making a splash in the OHL. The Detroit Red Wings signed 19-year-old Kaden Fulcher back in October and the Hamilton Bulldogs goalie has since been a top goalie in the league, currently fourth in goals against average and seventh in save percentage among starters. Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser is right there with him, as the Oshawa Generals keeper is sixth in save percentage and seventh in goals against average among starters.

The Western League is littered with undrafted free agent signings among its top scorers. The Moose Jaw Warriors’ Brayden Burke has joined that group, having just signed with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Burke, 21, is tied for second in league scoring with 113 points in just 61 games, a pace of nearly two points per game this season. Burke is undersized at 5’10”, 165 lbs., but has done well for himself in the WHL, which is traditionally a heavier league, and will soon turn his sights on the pros. Also in the top ten in scoring are another Penguin, Jordy Bellerive, and the Colorado Avalanche’s Ty Lewis. Both forwards signed prior to the season and have each taken a big step in 2017-18, currently tied for eighth with 89 points. Bellerive, who is only 18, jumped on the opportunity to sign with the defending Cup champs after being passed over in the draft, and the Lethbridge Hurricanes center is now making the Penguins just as excited about the deal. Lewis, 20, has stepped into the top scorer role for the Brandon Wheat Kings left behind by Nolan Patrick and has excelled. Cameron Hebig of the Regina Pats is next in line with 88 points on the year, after signing with the Edmonton Oilers. The WHL also features an impressive undrafted goalie of their own in Cole Kehler, a 20-year-old for the Portland Winterhawks who inked a deal with the Los Angeles Kings in December as well. Kehler has a big frame and a quick glove, which has helped him maintain the best goals against average and fourth-best save percentage among goalies with at least 40 appearances this year.

While the Quebec League doesn’t count as many exciting undrafted prospects among its best, it does feature two consistent torrid scorers who, until recently, had been ignored due to their small stature. Alex Barre-Boulet joined the pro-bound on March 1st, when the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him to an entry-level deal. Barre-Boulet, 20, may stand only 5’10”, 165 lbs., but he is enjoying his third-straight 80+ point campaign. In fact, he is far beyond that in 2017-18, with a league leading 109 points that dwarfs the next-best scorer by 15 points. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada star has at least earned a shot at the NHL. So too has Maxime Fourtier, the Halifax Mooseheads captain who has at least 70 points the past three years. Fourtier is slightly bigger that Barre-Boulet and has clearly focused on rounding out his game this season, after signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November.

The 2017-18 season shows that the draft is not the end of the line. These standouts make up only a fraction of the talented undrafted players skating in the CHL, some of whom are soon to be signed, and an even smaller fraction of undrafted players across the globe. Talent is always there to discover, even if it doesn’t fully manifest by the age of 18, and these players are proof. Expect to see many of them at the NHL level some time in the not-to-distant future.

Eastern Notes: Kane, Budaj, Sanheim, Reaves

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Evander Kane has found a new home, at least for the rest of this year. While it’s too early to know whether he will stay in San Jose for the foreseeable future, the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that the Sharks might be the best fit for the 26-year-old personality. In a 10-point notebook on Kane, Harrington writes that what Kane really needs is to be on a veteran team who will tell him how things work, something that he did not have in Buffalo.

The Sharks, who are loaded in veterans such as Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, Joel Ward and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, should be able to have some controlling effect on Kane. Thornton already proved that when the veteran picked Kane up from the airport in a limousine after the trade. He also writes that Kane already is showing off his speed with San Jose as he’s tallied up three assists in two games with the Sharks. That speed was not very apparent over the past couple of months in Buffalo, but the scribe writes that Kane was well aware Buffalo management wanted to move on from him and may have lost interest in sacrificing himself for the Sabres.

Harrington also adds that general manager Jason Botterill should have made a trade earlier when Kane was hot. Knowing his reputation, which only got worse in the last couple of months with his teammates, they never were likely to get the asking price that Botterill was demanding. In the end, it was quite obvious that only veteran teams showed interest in Kane as the runner-up at the deadline was the Anaheim Ducks.

Due to his reputation, Harrington wonders whether Kane will be forced to take a lesser deal this offseason. Players at his age and skill should be getting a long-term deals at $6-7MM, but Kane may be forced to accept something closer to a four-year term if teams continue to worry about his ability to co-exist with his teammates.

  • Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith tweets that Tampa Bay Lightning backup goalie Peter Budaj, who hasn’t played since Dec. 29, is really close to returning to the team. The team could have a decision to make, however, as emergency backup Louis Domingue has won four of his six starts and has played well for Tampa Bay. Domingue, who has a 3.29 GAA and a .905 save percentage would have to be officially recalled, however, if they want to keep the 25-year-old. The team has already used two of their four allotted recalls on Anthony Cirelli and Adam Erne, so the team may not want to use a third recall yet and might stick with Budaj. The 35-year-old has struggled with Tampa Bay this year, however, with a 3.80 GAA and a .878 save percentage.
  • John Boruk of NBC Sports Philadelphia writes that the Philadelphia Flyers talked to the Ottawa Senators right before the trade deadline about acquiring winger Mike Hoffman. The scribe writes that sources have said the Senators asked for a package that included defenseman Travis Sanheim and a first-round pick as a starting point. While a first-rounder (they have two of them this year) might have been a possibility, Sanheim proved to be the deal-breaker.
  • Providence Journal’s Mark Divver tweets that he spoke to a pro scout who believes the Pittsburgh Penguins made a mistake when they traded enforcer Ryan Reaves to the Vegas Golden Knights last week. While Reaves took a lot of criticism for his lack of offense with the Penguins, he provided the team with leadership and a physicality the team really needed. The scribe writes that the Penguins struggled when things got tough Thursday when they played the Boston Bruins.

Snapshots: Calgary, Mironov, Murray

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The Calgary Flames were involved in a battle for funding for a new arena for quite some time, until the talks were abruptly halted in September. After Mayor Naheed Nenshi was re-elected in October, there hasn’t been any progress or even discussion on how to fix the deteriorating financial situation the Flames find themselves in.

Today according to the Canadian Press, as part of his tour through Western Canada, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about how the Flames are now relying on the league’s revenue sharing program instead of contributing to it as they had in the past. The Flames have indicated their dedication to the community in the past, but hinted that could change if it becomes impossible to operate a financially sound organization. While much of the back and forth in this story has been public posturing, Calgary’s hockey team remains without a long-term fix to their arena situation.

  • Andrei Mironov will indeed head back to Russia after terminating his contract, and as agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey explains on Twitter, he’d like to thank everyone in the Colorado Avalanche organization. It doesn’t seem like there is any bad blood between the two sides, but there just wasn’t a fit for Mironov after signing his entry-level contract last May. The 23-year old defenseman played just 10 games in the NHL, and will likely return to the KHL.
  • Matt Murray was back on the ice doing drills today, though didn’t take any live shots from teammates. That’s huge news for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who despite having faith in Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith, obviously would rather have their two-time Stanley Cup winner in net for the playoffs. We saw first hand last night the struggles that the rookie tandem could have, as the Boston Bruins chased DeSmith from the net in the first period and ended up with eight goals. There is still no timeline for Murray’s return from a concussion, but seeing him on the ice is a good first step.

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