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Chicago Blackhawks Place Jan Rutta On Waivers

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Friday: Rutta has cleared waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The defenseman has been assigned to the Rockford IceHogs, meaning $1.025MM of his cap hit will be buried. The remaining $1.225MM will continue to be applied to Chicago’s salary cap.

Thursday: The Chicago Blackhawks were apparently unable to find a trade partner that wanted to take one of their depth defensemen, and have now risked one to waivers. The team has placed Jan Rutta on waivers today, exposing the 28-year old to the entire league.

Rutta was originally signed out of the Czech Republic in 2017, and did well enough in a part-time role for the Blackhawks that they decided to offer him an extension this past March. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, and it took a one-year $2.25MM contract to convince him otherwise. That deal also includes a European Assignment Clause, which is a very important part of today’s transactions. If Rutta clears waivers and the Blackhawks attempt to assign him to the minor leagues, there’s a chance he could force them to send him to Europe instead.

The idea of him getting claimed might also be unlikely at this point. Though the right-handed defenseman has shown he’s capable of playing at an NHL level, his attributed cap hit may end up scaring off any team that shows interest. It’s likely what kept the Blackhawks from trading Rutta or Brandon Manning in the first place, given the uncertainty around whether they can actually help a team on a full-time basis. Contenders like Toronto, Boston and Edmonton could have use for this type of player, but might not want to commit all $2.25MM to what is essentially a lottery ticket at this point.

Chicago meanwhile finally ended an eight-game losing streak with a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, and had Carl Dahlstrom make an immediate impact in his first game this season. The 23-year old played 22:34 in the game, only trailing Duncan Keith and the recently returned Connor Murphy in minutes from the blue line. The emergence of Dahlstrom and fellow youngster Henri Jokiharju have made Manning and Rutta expendable, at least as the team looks to try and rebuild their back end on the fly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Mike Green Out Three To Five Weeks

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The Detroit Red Wings are falling out of the playoff race in the Atlantic Division, and will now be without one of their best defensemen for quite some time. Mike Green will be out three to five weeks with a lower-body injury according to head coach Jeff Blashill, who spoke with reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia today. Filip Hronek has been recalled to fill Green’s spot on the roster.

Minor Transactions: 12/14/18

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The Tampa Bay Lightning showed the NHL just how dangerous they can be now that Andrei Vasilevskiy is back on the ice, as the goaltender was peppered by the Toronto Maple Leafs but found a way to keep nearly every puck out of the net. The Lightning now have an eight-point lead on the second place Maple Leafs, and are easily pacing the NHL. They’ll be off as 16 teams battle tonight, and we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves made throughout the day.

  • Sami Niku has been sent back to the AHL by the Winnipeg Jets, as Joe Morrow closes in on his return. The 22-year old Niku played in five games for the Jets but wasn’t able to lock down a full-time role just yet. After taking home Defenseman of the Year honors in the AHL last season, there’s no doubt that Niku will be back in the NHL at some point.
  • With Mike Smith suffering a minor injury, the Calgary Flames have recalled goaltender Jon Gillies from the AHL. Smith is listed as day-to-day, meaning David Rittich will get the lion’s share of the work for the next little while. Gillies meanwhile has not played well for the Stockton Heat this season, something that can’t inspire a ton of confidence in Flames fans moving forward. The team has sent Ryan Lomberg to the AHL to make room for Gillies.

Carolina Hurricanes Had Trade Fall Through At Last Minute

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The Carolina Hurricanes have been rumored to be very interested in adding a scoring forward this season, and they may have almost gotten their wish last week. On the latest edition of Insider Trading for TSN, Pierre LeBrun reports that a deal fell through at the last minute with a Western Conference team. LeBrun restates the Hurricanes’ interest in a top-six forward and while it sounds like William Nylander is off the table after signing his long deal, apparently they have interest in Kasperi Kapanen of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Speculation can run wild on who the Hurricanes were dealing with in the West, but the simple fact is that Carolina is urgently looking to get some more firepower up front. With another goal tonight for the Maple Leafs, Kapanen continues to impress in an elevated position next to Auston Matthews and is setting himself up for a nice contract negotiation of his own in the offseason. The 22-year old forward had struggled to find any real consistency at the NHL level for the first few years of his career, but had 21 points in 31 games coming into tonight’s action and is finally fulfilling the potential that made him a first-round pick. The Maple Leafs of course have other concerns in the summer months, given that Matthews and Mitch Marner are also restricted free agents.

Even if Kapanen is not available—which LeBrun makes no real assertion on one way or the other—there will be plenty of offense to go around as the trade deadline nears later this season. Another name mentioned in the segment by insider Bob McKenzie, though not in specific reference to Carolina is Jeff Carter, who still has three years left on his contract after 2018-19 but isn’t actually owed much salary. That makes him a pretty attractive trade target if teams are willing to sacrifice some young assets for the rebuild in Los Angeles, though nothing seems imminent there either.

One has to wonder whether Carolina will find what they’re looking for soon, given the urgency the front office is likely feeling. The team entered play tonight at 13-12-4 but had scored just 72 goals in those 29 games. That put them ahead of only the Kings, a place you don’t want to be if you’re trying to compete for a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Pacific Notes: Gagner, Russell, Rieder, Sharks

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Canucks center Sam Gagner is known to be available after he was sent back to the AHL earlier this month.  In an appearance on TSN 1040 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested that Ottawa could make sense as a fit for the 29-year-old given their rash of injuries up front.  He also added that it would take them retaining on his $3.15MM per year (through 2019-20) to get something done.  Gagner hasn’t fared too poorly in his NHL action this season but clearly, Vancouver is prioritizing defensive play with their forwards at the bottom of the lineup which has left him on the outside looking in.  If the Sens don’t have much interest, it’s likely that Vancouver will have to wait until some other teams get hit with injuries and look to make an opportunistic deal.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • The Oilers announced that they have placed defenseman Kris Russell on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. With fellow blueliner Oscar Klefbom being placed on IR yesterday, Edmonton’s defensive depth is starting to run thin.  On the flip side, they are getting a regular back in Tobias Rieder, who was activated to take Russell’s spot on the roster.  The winger missed the last dozen games with an upper-body issue and is slated to suit up on their fourth line tonight against Winnipeg.
  • The recent emergence of defenseman Radim Simek could make it easier for the Sharks to move one of Tim Heed or Joakim Ryan, suggests Paul Gackle of The Mercury News. The 26-year-old rookie has played in the last five games and has fared well, picking up a pair of points while averaging 15:34 per night and in the process, he has given San Jose another third pairing option for their back end.  The team is currently carrying eight blueliners and could perhaps flip some of that extra depth for some desired help down the middle.  Both Heed (27) and Ryan (25) are on expiring contracts at the league minimum $650K with Ryan still being eligible for restricted free agency next summer.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Alex Lyon

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The Philadelphia Flyers have released updates on three different goaltenders in the organization. Michal Neuvirth has left the team to join his wife who is expecting, Brian Elliott has returned to Philadelphia for a medical appointment, and Alex Lyon has joined the team for the interim. Lyon will pair with Anthony Stolarz at the NHL level for the time being, something the two have done in the minor leagues at times this season.

Seeing Neuvirth and Elliott leave the team at one point might have been tough to swallow, but at this point it might not make much of a difference. Stolarz was the starter last night but allowed the Calgary Flames to make a dramatic comeback that included two goals with their net empty, and has posted just an .889 save percentage on the season. Amazingly, that puts Stolarz ahead of three of the other goaltenders that have suited up for Philadelphia this year, including Neuvirth and Lyon. As the team waits on Elliott—the only one with even respectable numbers—to return from injury they have to hope that someone can step up and carry the load.

That appeared to be Stolarz, who despite the breakdown last night has actually played well in his short stint, but perhaps it could be Lyon instead. The 26-year old has stabilized his season at the minor league level and seems just as likely as any to give the team average goaltending. That’s all anyone in Philadelphia can hope for right now as they try to climb out of a dreadful start to the season.

CHL/NHL Top Prospect Game Invitees Announced

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One of the most interesting events of the year when it comes to draft-eligible prospects is the annual CHL/NHL Top Prospects game. For the game, every NHL franchise helps select the 40 players they would like to see compete from across the entire CHL, giving them better insight as the entry draft approaches. Almost every player that takes part in the game ends up selected a few months later, many of them in the first round.

The showcase will be held on January 23rd in Red Deer, Alberta. The full roster includes:

G Colten Ellis (Rimouski Océanic)
G Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
G Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)
G Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers)

D Samuel Bolduc (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
D Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants)
D Billy Constantinou (Kingston Frontenacs)
D Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
D Artemi Kniazev (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds)
D Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
D Jake Lee (Seattle Thunderbirds)
D Nikita Okhotyuk (Ottawa 67’s)
D Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings)
D Lassi Thomson (Kelowna Rockets)
D Michael Vukojevic (Kitchener Rangers)

F Nikita Alexandrov (Charlottetown Islanders)
F Maxim Cajkovic (Saint John Sea Dogs)
F Joe Carroll (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
F Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
F Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
F Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades)
F Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
F Matvey Guskov (London Knights)
F Dillon Hamaliuk (Seattle Thunderbirds)
F Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs)
F Peyton Krebs (Kootenay ICE)
F Raphaël Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads)
F Brett Leason (Prince Albert Raiders)
F Nathan Légaré (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
F Connor McMichael (London Knights)
F Sasha Mutala (Tri-City Americans)
F Jakob Pelletier (Moncton Wildcats)
F Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
F Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
F Nick Robertson (Peterborough Petes)
F Ryan Suzuki (Barrie Colts)
F Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
F Josh Williams (Medicine Hat Tigers)
F Oleg Zaytsev (Red Deer Rebels)

Most notable among the roster is a group of forwards all vying for spots in the top-10 during June’s draft. Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, Raphael Lavoie, Peyton Krebs and Ryan Suzuki could all creep into the top third of the first round, though obviously nothing is set at this point. Others like Nolan Foote and Arthur Kaliyev could easily leapfrog up the draft board with a strong showing in this event and the second half of the CHL season.

On defense, all eyes will be on Bowen Byram who is starting to establish himself as a potential franchise player on the blue line. The Vancouver Giants defender has 25 points in 29 games and has been considered well ahead of his age group defensively since making his WHL debut in 2016-17. For fans already looking forward to the June festivities, this event is must-see action.

Snapshots: Blues, Formenton, Predators

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When things aren’t going well for an NHL franchise with big expectations, you can almost see the vultures—that is, other general managers—circling. That’s what appears to be happening in St. Louis, where the Blues find themselves constantly in the rumor mill these days. After another mention yesterday of the potential availability of Alex Pietrangelo (who underwent hand surgery today but didn’t see his recovery timeline change) the latest news comes as a little reprieve for Blues fans who don’t want to see their team blown up.

On NBCSN, hockey insider Darren Dreger explained that he doesn’t believe the Blues will move a big chunk of their young core though will listen on “just about anything else.” Dreger only mentions Jaden Schwartz as part of that core, and doesn’t address directly the rumors around Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko. There’s still plenty to like about the St. Louis depth chart, especially given the young group of forwards including Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Ivan Barbashev, Klim Kostin and Sammy Blais who all look like they will contribute in the NHL for a long time. If a big move does come, it won’t necessarily set the Blues back very far.

  • Alex Formenton suffered an injury in yesterday’s exhibition game at the World Junior selection camp, and today was seen by TSN’s Bob McKenzie on crutches and wearing a knee brace. The team told McKenzie that it was just precautionary, but Formenton’s inclusion on the tournament roster is obviously in jeopardy. The Ottawa Senators prospect was expected to play a huge role and use his speed and experience to give Canada an edge against an excellent international field, but will have to show he’s healthy enough to compete before the team sends home his potential replacements.
  • While Kyle Turris is expected to return for the Nashville Predators tonight, news isn’t nearly as good on his fellow injured forwards. GM David Poile told ESPN radio that Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson will still be out for another three weeks. Nashville lost their top seed in the Western Conference last night after the Calgary Flames came from behind to win against the Philadelphia Flyers, and are in a dog fight with the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche for the Central Division lead. Getting two of their top forwards back would be a huge boost for the club as they search for a little more consistency during the winter months.

Minor Transactions: 12/13/18

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After a wild Wednesday night that saw the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers record 11 goals while the Chicago Blackhawks were picking apart the Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL is back at it with eight more games on the schedule. Perhaps prime among them is a tussle between two Eastern Conference powerhouses when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. Those two teams sit first and second in the entire NHL, and could very well have to go through one another to realize their dream of a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. As always, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves around the league.

  • Somewhat surprisingly, the Nashville Predators have assigned Eeli Tolvanen back to the minor leagues ahead of their matchup tonight with the Vancouver Canucks. Tolvanen played just over 11 minutes on Monday, and has suited up four times for the Predators this season. Still, with Nashville missing several key offensive weapons many were hoping that the young sniper could step up and perform in the meantime. This could point to a Kyle Turris return, after the center practiced with the team recently.
  • Zac Dalpe has been returned to the Cleveland Monsters after just one day with the Columbus Blue Jackets, as Josh Anderson has been deemed ready to play tonight. That’s an impressive feat, but will come at the expense of Dalpe who is patiently waiting for another NHL opportunity. The 29-year old forward is off to a blistering start in the minor leagues with 25 points in 24 games, but has suited up just once for Columbus all season.

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