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Alan Quine

Flames Re-Sign Alan Quine

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The Flames have agreed to terms with center Alan Quine, announcing that they have re-signed the restricted free agent to a one-year, two-way contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Quine split last season between Calgary and their AHL affiliate in Stockton.  At the minor league level, he was among the league leaders in points per game as he picked up 52 points in just 41 games.  While he wasn’t as prolific of a scorer with the Flames, he chipped in relatively well in the NHL with three goals and two helpers in 13 contests.

Between Calgary and the Islanders (who non-tendered him back in 2018), the 26-year-old has 97 games of NHL experience under his belt with nine goals and 18 assists.  He’s likely to be in a similar role next season as he was in 2018-19 where he’s initially ticketed to start in the minors but should serve as one of the first recalls if someone is injured up front.  Quine will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason.

Minor Transactions: 03/10/19

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After 24 teams were in action Saturday, the NHL should be a bit quieter on Sunday with just five games slated for the day. Regardless, there should be some key matches on the slate as the Metropolitan Division leader Washington Capitals will go up against the Central Divison leading Winnipeg Jets. The Calgary Flames, losers of four straight, will also be in action Sunday as well, in an attempt to reclaim the Pacific Division lead as they go up against the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights. With the playoff race getting more intense, teams continue to shuffle their rosters. Make sure to check back throughout the day to get all the team’s transactions for the day.

  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned forward Brandon Gignac back to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. Gignac was recalled Saturday due to the massive amount of injuries the Devils have sustained recently and made his NHL debut. The 21-year-old played 9:04 of ice time, registering one shot, one blocked shot and a minus-two rating. With 20 forwards on the active roster, his assignment likely means that one of the Devils’ injured forwards will be ready to go.
  • With the need to add a player to their roster, the Calgary Flames announced they have recalled forward Alan Quine from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. The Flames assigned Curtis Lazar to Stockton Saturday, as the team was more interested in bringing in a veteran minor leaguer to add to their roster. Quine has been quite successful this season as he has proven to be better-than point-a-game player with 19 goals and 52 points in 41 games with Stockton. The 26-year-old has also shown some success at the NHL level with three goals and an assist in nine games for the Flames.
  • The up-and-down feeling for Dylan Gambrell continues as the San Jose Sharks have recalled the rookie once again, according to CapFriendly. Gambrell was recalled Thursday to San Jose, assigned back to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL Friday and now has been recalled once again. With the Barracuda, Gambrell has been practically a point-per-game player with 16 goals and 38 points in 40 games. However, in six games with the Sharks, he has zero points and is averaging just 8:11 of ATOI.
  • While there has been no explanation yet for the transaction, Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen reports that the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled goaltender Maxime Lagace from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on an emergency basis, suggesting that one of the team’s goaltenders, either Marc-Andre Fleury or Malcolm Subban, is injured, although there is no confirmation of that. The 26-year-old has been having a solid season with the Wolves with a 2.30 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 28 appearances.

Minor Transactions: 12/08/18

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With ten games on deck today spanning nine hours from first to last puck drop, there is plenty of NHL hockey to watch. The Flyers and Sabres get the action started with an early afternoon matinee, followed by the Golden Knights and Kings with their own early game on the west coast, and then eight contests later tonight, highlighted by Maple Leafs-Bruins, Lightning-Avalanche, Capitals-Blue Jackets, and Predators-Flames. In preparation, expect a flurry of moves today as teams align their rosters for Saturday’s games and beyond:

  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Michael Bunting from the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, the team announced. Bunting is off to a strong start in the minors this season, currently tied for second on the Roadrunners in scoring with 18 points through 20 games. Bunting led the club in goal scoring last season and finished third in points and his continued success begs for a look at the NHL level. This is not Bunting’s first recall, yet he has not actually seen any game action with Arizona just yet. That could change this week as the ’Yotes look to fend off tough competition in the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, and Buffalo Sabres.
  • As expected, the Calgary Flames have called up forward Alan Quine, per a team release, making it his first recall of the season and first with the club. Quine signed with the Flames this summer, expecting to compete for a regular role, but has instead been relegated to a full-time job with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He’s certainly made the most of that situation, recording 19 points in 15 games, among the top per-game producers in the AHL. With Mikael Backlund joining Michael Frolik on the shelf for Calgary, Quine should slot in nicely as a capable two-way forward. A strong performance could make it difficult for the team to send him back down to the minors at first opportunity. The Calgary Flames also announced they have recalled defenseman Rinat Valiev from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. He likely was brought up as an emergency option for the team with back-to-back games approaching on Saturday vs. Nashville and Sunday in Edmonton. The 23-year-old is already on his third NHL team after the Flames picked him up right before the season from Montreal in exchange for Brett Kulak. Valiev has three assists in 20 games for Stockton this season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have returned defenseman Cameron Schilling to Manitoba of the AHL, reports Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun.  He suited up in four games while on recall, his first NHL action since the 2014-15 season.  With Dustin Byfuglien and Dmitry Kulikov both returning on Friday, Schilling was no longer needed to serve as injury depth and will return to the Moose where he has six assists in 15 games so far this season.
  • The New York Rangers announced that they have recalled center Cole Schneider from Hartford of the AHL.  He is tied for second on the Wolf Pack in scoring with eight goals and nine assists in 25 games so far this season.  If he gets into a game with New York, it will be his first NHL action in more than two years.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have returned winger Saku Maenalanen and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to AHL Charlotte, per a team release.  Maenalanen made his NHL debut last night, logging just 6:49 of ice time.  He has 11 points in 23 games so far with the Checkers.  As for Nedeljkovic, he was recalled to serve as the backup last night with Curtis McElhinney dealing with a minor injury and will now go back to Charlotte where he will likely split playing time with Scott Darling.

 

Seventeen Players Placed On Waivers

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Every player placed on waivers yesterday – even surprise Ottawa Senators addition Zack Smith – cleared, as the wire continues to be a smooth operation for NHL teams looking to re-stock their AHL clubs this preseason. Will the next round of players also go untouched? Per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, another 17 players have been waived today, including:

G Jean-Francois Berube (Columbus)
G Kevin Boyle (Anaheim)
F Sam Carrick (Anaheim)
D Trevor Carrick (Carolina)
G Jared Coreau (Anaheim)
F Kyle Criscuolo (Buffalo)
F Chase De Leo (Anaheim)
F Tyrell Goulbourne (Philadelphia)
F Tyler Graovac (Calgary)
F Morgan Klimchuk (Calgary)
D Tyler Lewington (Washington)
D Steve Oleksy (Anaheim)
F Brandon Pirri (Vegas)
F Alan Quine (Calgary)
F Buddy Robinson (Calgary)
F Anton Rodin (Anaheim)
F Kerby Rychel (Calgary)
F Michael Sgarbossa (Washington)

Odds are that this group of players will likely play out as the other have this off-season. There are very few names that jump out as worthy of an NHL roster spot. Many are also recent unrestricted free agents, meaning teams have had a chance to bring them in already and 30 didn’t do so.

Of the group, Berube and Pirri have the most name value. A former top goalie prospect who the New York Islanders once kept on as a third goalie simply so that he would not be subjected to waivers, Berube has lost much of his shine. A poor effort as the third-string goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks last season led to an off-season trade to Columbus, where he will most likely play in the AHL for much of the year. Teams desperate for a backup goalie would be better off with Coreau than Berube in all likelihood. As for Pirri, the one-time 20-goal scorer is hard to get a read on, excelling with some teams and struggling with others. He only played in two games last year with the Golden Knights and score three goals, yet somehow was unable to hold on to a roster spot. One of the league’s greatest enigma’s, Pirri’s value on waivers is a mystery.

Graovac, Rychel, and Quine are nice bottom-six pieces, but signed to two-way contracts for a reason. Oleksy is an ideal eighth or ninth defenseman. The Carrick brothers are also solid pros but have been limited in their NHL experience due to ability not opportunity. Others on the list are similar: notable veterans who would be an asset as a minor league depth player, but simply not as a lock on the NHL roster.

Finally, there’s Rodin, who may be the outlier that could be claimed by the right team. The former Swedish Hockey League MVP has unquestionable ability, but was not able to make a difference with the Vancouver Canucks and seemingly has realized the same fate with the Anaheim Ducks. A team willing to guarantee him top-nine ice time could find that he is a weapon when healthy. Is that upside worthy of a waiver claim?

Calgary Flames Sign Morgan Klimchuk To One-Year Deal

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The Calgary Flames announced they have signed restricted free agent Morgan Klimchuk to a one-year, two-way deal with a $700K AAV.

Klimchuk, the team’s 2013 first-round pick, has played in just one NHL game, but been able to post solid numbers while he’s been developing his game with the Stockton Heat the last few years. The 23-year-old has put up two 19-goal seasons in the AHL. With Calgary adding several forwards to their team this offseason, including James Neal, Elias Lindholm, Derek Ryan, Alan Quine and Austin Czarnik, Klimchuk, a Calgary native, is not likely to break camp with the Flames and is likely to return to Stockton for another season.

The signing leaves the Flames with eight more restricted free agent contracts to deal with, including Lindholm, Mark Jankowski, Garnet Hathaway, Noah Hanifin, Brett Kulak, David Rittich, Hunter Shinkaruk and Jon Gillies.

Calgary Flames Sign Alan Quine, Tyler Graovac

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The Calgary Flames continue to add to their forward depth, following up acquisitions of Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik earlier with yet another pair intriguing signings. The team has inked Tyler Graovac and Alan Quine to one-year, two-way contracts that will carry cap hits of $650K and $700K respectively in the NHL.

Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of New York’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Brock Nelson – Though all eyes in New York are watching a certain unrestricted free agent (we’ll get to that later), the team still has plenty of work to do with some of their restricted players this summer. One of those is Nelson, who while frustratingly inconsistent at times still has four straight seasons with at least 19 goals.

It’s not that Nelson is an integral offensive piece on a team that has plenty of weapons up front, but scoring goals in the NHL is a daunting task and those who can do it at both even-strength and on the powerplay aren’t that easy to find. For any team, secondary scoring threats like Nelson get paid exceptionally well and are a tough group to hold on to long-term. Even with his slightly reduced totals this season, he’s still heading into the summer in a strong negotiating position as this is his final year before qualifying for UFA status. That means any term the Islanders give is buying out UFA years and sending the average annual value of the contract skyrocketing.

D Ryan Pulock – It’s not just up front that the team has some tough decisions, as Pulock broke out this season and could be looking for a long-term deal. The 23-year old defenseman finally got his full-time chance in the NHL and crushed it with 32 points in 68 games. That came with the best possession stats of any defenseman on the team, while still taking his fair share of defensive responsibilities.

Pulock is only now coming off his entry-level contract and is not yet eligible for salary arbitration, meaning the Islanders could certainly wait to lock him up long-term. That said, he’s so clearly a part of their future on the blue line that the team may want to commit right away.

Other RFAs: F Ross Johnston, F Alan Quine, F Shane Prince, D Brandon Davidson, D Kyle Burroughs, F Kyle Schempp, D Devon Toews

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F John Tavares – It all starts and ends with Tavares, who is basically holding the free agent market hostage at the moment. Though John Carlson and others are fine prizes, no one is a franchise-changing player like Tavares in the prime of his career. The three-time 80-point man is coming off one of his most successful offensive seasons and he has proven time and again to be able to carry less talented wingers to big production.

Every team in the league would love to slide Tavares into their lineup, but it’s still unclear how many would really be able to put together the kind of financial package to entice him. Even that’s only if he ends up hitting the free agent market, something that may not even be likely at this point. Recently, when the Islanders fired their GM and head coach a new bout of speculation arose about Tavares’ connection with the franchise and intention to stick around. No one—except perhaps Lou Lamoriello, who could keep a secret from his son if he needed to—knows exactly where Tavares is headed. We’ll find out in just a few weeks.

D Calvin de Haan – Amazingly, Tavares isn’t the only important free agent the Islanders have. Though they already locked up Josh Bailey, de Haan and Thomas Hickey represent a good portion of their defense corps that is currently scheduled for the free agent market. The Islanders struggled in part this season keeping the puck out of their own net because of injuries to de Haan, who played just 33 games in total.

The 27-year old defenseman has shown flashes of brilliance over the years, like when he suited up for Canada in the 2017 IIHF World Championship, but has struggled to put it all together and become the top-pairing defenseman the team once hoped for. He won’t be paid like it this summer, but there will certainly be a market for him if he ends up leaving the Islanders.

Other UFAs: F Chris Wagner, F Nikolai Kulemin (headed to KHL), D Thomas Hickey, D Dennis Seidenberg, G Jaroslav Halak, D Kane Lafranchise, F Connor Jones, G Christopher Gibson, F Stephen Gionta, D Seth Helgeson, G Kristers Gudlevskis

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Matthews, Waivers, Kulemin

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Auston Matthews will miss the first game of his career tonight when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Minnesota Wild. Matthews was a game-time decision on Monday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, but ended up playing (and playing well). Today, coach Mike Babcock confirmed that his upper-body injury will keep him out of the match, which sparked an interesting take from former TSN radio host Matt Cauz.

Glad Leafs are resting Auston Matthews. If stars rest the odd game in the less physical NBA than why not in the NHL? Rather have a fresh Matthews in back-to-back vs. Boston.

While Matthews’ injury has been described as “soreness” by Babcock and the team doesn’t seem too concerned about it, it does raise the question about playing through injury or resting to remain healthy all year. Goaltenders are already treated this way due to the demand on their bodies, and perhaps teams should consider it more for their star players. The Maple Leafs though aren’t in the same situation as some basketball teams who decide to give their stars a night off. In the NHL, playoff spots are far from guaranteed throughout the year and any team can surprise on a given night. It’s unlikely that Matthews is sitting just to be fresh for the weekend series against Boston.

  • Erik Condra and Brian Ferlin have cleared waivers and will be assigned to their respective AHL teams. Both players started the year injured, and had to clear to be sent to their minor league affiliates. Condra is headed to the Syracuse Crunch where  will be welcomed back with open arms as he continues his role of team captain, while Ferlin will be assigned to the Bakersfield Condors to try and get his professional career back on track. The 25-year old Ferlin has been limited by injuries since leaving Cornell University for the pros, playing in just 28 games (playoffs included) over the past two seasons.
  • Nikolai Kulemin has been placed on injured reserve by the New York Islanders, giving them one additional roster spot to call up a forward. Alan Quine came back from his minor league conditioning stint, but many expect Joshua Ho-Sang to get another chance with the big club. Ho-Sang has five points in five games since being sent down, and is a key part of the Islanders’ future up front. New York plays the Dallas Stars on Friday night.

Minor Moves: Corrado, Heinen, Mitchell

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Justin Schultz on injured reserve, and recalled Frank Corrado from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in his stead. Schultz suffered a concussion on Tuesday night, and is out indefinitely while he works his way through the league protocol.

Corrado, 24, was acquired by the Penguins last year from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a salary dump of sorts. The Maple Leafs took on Eric Fehr’s $2MM/year contract, after he had cleared waivers with the Penguins. Fehr cleared waivers again yesterday for the Maple Leafs, and could be sent to the minor leagues today. Corrado played just two games down the stretch last season, and has been stuck in the minors to being this year. The defenseman has two points in six games.

  • The Boston Bruins have brought Danton Heinen back from the minor leagues ahead of their matchup with the San Jose Sharks tonight, rewarding the young playmaker for his excellent early play. Heinen has eight points in four games for the Providence Bruins, including seven assists. That isn’t just a minor league trend, as prior to his assignment he recorded three points in three games for Boston as well. The 22-year old fourth-round pick is showing considerable upside and could get into the lineup on a more full-time basis going forward.
  • The Minnesota Wild have also continued to bounce players up and down, today recalling Zack Mitchell from the AHL. Mitchell had previously been up with the team for three games, where he registered one point while playing fewer than ten minutes per night. The undrafted forward has been a big part of the Iowa Wild for several years, and filled in for Minnesota last year as well. Likely not much more than a 13th forward, this likely isn’t the last transaction to include Mitchell this year. He will eventually need to clear waivers again as he cleared on September 28th, just before the season began.
  • The Joshua Ho-Sang move from yesterday was indeed a prelude to Alan Quine’s activation, as the team has moved him from season-opening injured reserve to a conditioning stint. While Quine will have to play a couple of games in the minor leagues, he still counts towards their 23-man roster for the time being.

East Notes: Van Riemdsyk, Clutterbuck, Canadiens, Bruins

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The Hurricanes have placed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk on injured reserve with a concussion, the team announced.  The concussion dates back to their season opener last Saturday when he fell and crashed hard into the boards and he did not play in their other game on Tuesday.  Though they didn’t specify it, it’s likely that the placement was backdated to last weekend which would allow them to activate van Riemsdyk as early as Sunday if he recovers quickly although he’s not currently with the team on their road trip.  Taking his place on the roster is blueliner Trevor Carrick, who has been recalled from Charlotte of the AHL.  Carrick has played three games in the minors so far this season, collecting a pair of assists.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last three games with a hip injury, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple. He may wind up replacing winger Jordan Eberle in the lineup after he missed practice on Friday with an undisclosed injury.  Staple adds that winger Alan Quine, who has been out since September 12th with an upper-body issue, was a full participant in practice and that an AHL conditioning stint could be in the works in the coming days.
  • Despite missing Friday’s practice with the flu, Canadiens winger Alex Galchenyuk told reporters, including TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link) that he will tonight against Toronto. Meanwhile, the team noted via Twitter that center Tomas Plekanec will be a game-time decision as he is also battling the flu.
  • Bruins center David Backes has started to skate and train in recent days but head coach Bruce Cassidy suggested to Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald that there is still a possibility that Backes will need surgery. Backes has yet to play this season due to diverticulitis.  Still with Boston, Cassidy noted to Harris that although center Patrice Bergeron skated on his own on Friday, he’s listed as doubtful for tonight’s game versus Arizona.

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