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Minor Transactions: 02/04/20

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It’s a busy Tuesday evening in the NHL with 13 games on the schedule, including Joel Edmundson and Justin Faulk facing their former teammates in St. Louis. The former will receive his Stanley Cup ring and will have his parents in attendance to watch. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic tweets that Edmundson’s family is being flown in from Manitoba by the Blues so they can see their son honored by his old team. As the Blues and everyone else in the league prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

Minor Transactions: 01/04/20

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As is usually the case, Saturday is a busy day in the NHL with a dozen games on the calendar which means there should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Teemu Kivihalme to AHL Toronto. The 24-year-old had spent the last few days as injury insurance but will return to the minors to get some playing time.  He has seven points in 28 AHL games so far this season.
  • The Wild have recalled defenseman Louis Belpedio per a team release. Belpedio has played in 35 games with AHL Iowa this season, recording 13 points.  With Nick Seeler going on a conditioning stint yesterday, Belpedio will likely serve as the seventh defenseman with Minnesota until he returns.
  • The Devils announced (via Twitter) that they’ve recalled center Ben Street from AHL Binghamton. His presence is needed with winger Jesper Bratt and center Jack Hughes both out for today’s game against Colorado.  Street has been productive in the minors this season with 33 points in as many games.
  • The Penguins announced that they’ve recalled goalie Emil Larmi from Wheeling of the ECHL. Casey DeSmith was originally supposed to serve as the backup in Montreal tonight but was unable to locate his passport so they had to change their plans.  Thomas DiPauli has also been recalled for the third time in two weeks and he’ll once again serve as injury insurance.
  • Joel Kiviranta is back on his way to the minors as the Stars announced (Twitter link) that he has been loaned back to AHL Texas.  Dallas is off until Wednesday so this will be an opportunity for him to get in some game action.
  • The Blackhawks announced (via Twitter) that they’ve recalled goaltender Kevin Lankinen on an emergency basis from AHL Rockford.  He’s taking the place of Robin Lehner who is dealing with a right knee injury.  Corey Crawford will take over as the starter in Lehner’s absence.
  • With Anthony Duclair’s availability for tonight in question, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes (Twitter link) that winger Drake Batherson has been recalled from AHL Belleville.  Batherson leads the AHL in scoring so far this season with 41 points in 33 games.
  • The Ducks appear to have made a pair of recalls as Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that wingers Daniel Sprong and Kiefer Sherwood are at practice.  Ondrej Kase and Korbinian Holzer are not participating in the skate.

New Jersey Adds Tennyson, Mermis, Street

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The New Jersey Devils have made some major additions this summer in the likes of No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes, superstar defenseman P.K. Subban, and today’s big free agency addition, forward Wayne Simmonds. It’s now time to fill out the organizational depth chart, and the team has done just that. The Devils have announced the signings of three veteran fringe players, defensemen Matt Tennyson and Dakota Mermis and forward Ben Street. The trio all signed two-way deals, with Tennyson signing on for two years while Mermis and Street will be under contract for just one.

Tennyson, 29, may be best known for his constant dance between the minor leagues and NHL the last several seasons. He was involved in 15 separate transactions last season for the Buffalo Sabres, popping back and forth from the Rochester Americans but only actually suiting up four times in the NHL. He may not get a lot more opportunity than that in New Jersey, but at least he’ll get some stability with a two-year contract.

Mermis meanwhile would likely kill for even that opportunity in the NHL. The 25-year old has played just ten games with the Arizona Coyotes and instead spent the rest of his professional career in the minor leagues. In 62 games for the Tucson Roadrunners last season the defenseman recorded 24 points, but ended up a Group VI unrestricted free agent looking for work this summer. He too will likely report to the Binghamton Devils to start the year.

Street, 32, had the most NHL experience last year out of the group, suiting up for 21 contests with the Anaheim Ducks when they found themselves lacking any semblance of center depth. The veteran minor league forward has been a top scoring threat for years in the AHL but has just eight points in 56 career NHL games. That likely won’t change much next season with the Devils, but he will be there in case they face any injury troubles throughout the year.

Anaheim Ducks Make Three Roster Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks have made three roster moves on Wednesday, first sending both Ben Street and Josh Mahura to the minor leagues. Street cleared waivers earlier this month and can be assigned to the AHL for now without going through the process again. Meanwhile, with the open roster spots the team has activated Rickard Rakell from injured reserve, ending a month-long stint on the sidelines.

Rakell’s return is huge for a Ducks team that reeling at the moment. Losers of eight consecutive games, the team has now fallen 12 points behind the San Jose Sharks for third place in the Pacific Division and are in danger of dropping out of the playoff race entirely. If it weren’t for the recent futility of teams like the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers that would be the case, but luckily Randy Carlyle’s squad can still turn things around. The return of their best pure goal scorer will certainly help that turnaround, though Rakell hasn’t been quite himself this season.

After recording back-to-back 30+ goal seasons, the 25-year old forward found the back of the net just five times in his first 30 games. Much of that has to do with an abysmal shooting percentage, but the team desperately needs him to find his touch around the net going forward. Luckily, Rakell was still producing offensively and returns to the lineup with 20 points in those 30 games. Rakell is one of the most valuable assets in the entire league given his $3.8MM cap hit, and should change at least some of the fortunes in Anaheim.

Minor Transactions: 01/06/19

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Despite many eyes across North America focused on the NFL Wild Card playoffs, the NHL has a busy Sunday scheduled this weekend. Seven games are on tap today, with the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators—two teams that are in the rumor mill—kicking things off this afternoon.  As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league today.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo back to the minor leagues once again, and could have him dressed for the Toronto Marlies game this afternoon. Kaskisuo has been serving as the backup for Michael Hutchinson while the team deals with injury, but still hasn’t gotten into an NHL game. With Frederik Andersen expected to return soon, he may have to wait for another opportunity.
  • Though the terminology varies on the ECHL and AHL websites, minor league defenseman Nolan De Jong will be playing for the San Jose Barracuda for the time being. With Jacob Middleton recalled by the Sharks, the Barracuda have acquired De Jong to give them some more depth on the back end. The former University of Michigan captain has nine points in 22 games with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL this season.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have recalled goaltender Cam Johnson from the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. He was recalled with the recent injury to MacKenzie Blackwood, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Johnson will serve as the backup today against Vegas. The former University of North Dakota standout has had an up and down season between the ECHL and Binghamton. While he has had quite a bit of success with the Adirondack Thunder, he hasn’t been as successful in 14 AHL games. Johnson has a 3.91 GAA and a .866 save percentage. To make room for Johnson, the team assigned defenseman defenseman Egor Yakovlev to the AHL.
  • The Calgary Flames announced they have assigned forward Dillon Dube and goaltender Jon Gillies to the Stockton Heat of the AHL. Dube has appeared in 23 games with Flames, but if the team is sending him down, it’s likley that forward Andrew Mangiapane is ready to return from injured reserve. And with David Rittich healthy and ready to go, the team didn’t need Gillies, who was serving as an emergency backup. He has yet to make an appearance for Calgary.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have assigned both forward Ben Street and defenseman Jake Dotchin to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Both players had cleared waivers recently. The team also sent defenseman Korbinian Holzer to San Diego. The moves are expected to open up roster spots for the return of center Rickard Rakell and Cam Fowler, who have been on injured reserve. Rackell has been out since Dec. 5 with a ankle injury, while Fowler has been out since Nov. 12 with a facial fracture. UPDATE: Stephens adds that Fowler has officially been activated off of injured reserve.
  • The Edmonton Oilers will get back a key defenseman as they announced they have activated Kris Russell, while placing forward Kailer Yamamoto on injured reserve. Russell has been out since Dec. 11 with a groin injury and has been badly missed in Edmonton, who have since acquired multiple defenseman to add depth to their team. Russell has eight points and a plus-four rating for the Oilers. Yamamoto, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, is still trying to gain a full-time position with the team, but has just a goal and two points in 13 appearances, while having eight points in 11 games in the AHL.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have recalled Chad Ruhwedel from his conditioning stint with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 28-year-old defenseman has played the role of the team’s seventh defenseman for several years now, but found himself in the press box for a long stretch of time, since Nov. 19, and the team opted to send him to the AHL to get him back into game shape. Ruhwedel played five games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, posting one goal, five points and a plus-eight.

Pacific Notes: Ducks, Quick, Chychrun

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The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries over the past year or so. The team is still far from healthy, but finally full strength is within sight, particularly among their battered forward corps. The likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves are healthy, and recent injuries like those to Jakob Silfverberg and Kalle Kossila have also run their course. Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are on the mend and expected to be active sooner rather than later. Corey Perry (knee) and Carter Rowney (upper body) are still far from a return, but in terms of players the Ducks reasonably expected to be healthy, things are looking up. However, a full set of healthy forwards also brings with it some tough choices. While Anaheim has the flexibility to send the likes of Ben Street, Pontus Aberg, Sam Carrick, and Kiefer Sherwood – currently on the roster – to the AHL, they have to be concerned about whether there is enough ice time to go around for the more permanent pieces. Already, the team sent promising rookie Isac Lundestrom to the AHL today to bring up Kossila and fellow top prospects Sam Steel and Troy Terry are already down with the San Diego Gulls. As the team grows healthier, it it possible that they could explore returning rookie Max Comtois to his junior club, the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltiguers. While Comtois has already played in ten games this season and tolled the first year of his contract, he cannot be sent to the AHL and could be better served getting guaranteed top-six minutes at the junior level than fighting for ice time with the Ducks. Comtois is currently sidelined, buying Anaheim some time on the decision, but with conceivably an upwards of 20 forwards expecting to see action in the NHL this season, eliminating even just one option by sending Comtois back to junior would help the Ducks with their impending roster crunch.

  • The Los Angeles Kings took another hit in net today with the news that backup goaltender Jack Campbell will be out four to six weeks with a torn meniscus. The team is already without starter Jonathan Quick due to the same injury and are left to lean on veteran Peter Budaj and rookie Cal Petersen for the time being. Fortunately, GM Rob Blake did assure the media later on that Quick remains on track to return sometime around the end of the month, per beat writer Curtis Zupke. Quick underwent surgery on October 31st and was given a timeline of roughly a month to return. So long as his rehab continues to progress positively, Quick could potentially be ready to return by the Kings’ November 30th clash with the division rival Calgary Flames. Yet, even in that best-case scenario, Budaj and Petersen will still be on the hook for the nine games between now and then.
  • In more immediate injury news, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is “probable” to make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Chychrun has been sidelined since late last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The first-round pick was establishing himself as a reliable top-four defender prior to his injury and his return should come with an automatic starting spot, likely bumping Ilya Lyubushkin down to the minors and Jordan Oesterle from his starting slot.

Mike Condon, Ben Street Placed On Waivers

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Thursday: Both Condon and Street have cleared waivers, and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Wednesday: After a tough night in Arizona, Mike Condon has been placed on waivers by the Ottawa Senators according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Joining Condon today is Ben Street of the Anaheim Ducks, while Jakub Jerabek has cleared and has been assigned to the minor leagues by the St. Louis Blues.

Condon has gone through quite a disastrous spell since signing a three-year, $7.2MM contract with the Senators in June of 2017. That summer he was coming off a very successful campaign in which he recorded a .914 save percentage and helped Ottawa get all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Since, he’s recorded just a .898 save percentage and won just five of his 28 starts. His and fellow netminder Craig Anderson’s disappointing 2017-18 season were a huge part of why the Senators fell to the bottom of the standings, and now there’s some question about whether or not he’ll be able to find his game again.

It’s not like Condon is at the beginning of his career, just dealing with a bump in the road. He’ll turn 29 this season, and could very well be on his way out of the league if he can’t turn things around. For now, he’ll likely clear waivers due to his hefty contract and try to work his way back to relevancy in the minor leagues. John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that it will be either veteran goaltender Mike McKenna or prospect Filip Gustavsson that will be called up to replace Condon in Ottawa and back up Anderson.

For Street, it’s a numbers game as the Ducks try to find a way to right the ship in the early part of the season. Patrick Eaves is close to a return, and with Kalle Kossila and Kiefer Sherwood making there return Anaheim needed to send someone back down. Street will likely join Sam Steel in the minor leagues, though was still skating with the team today.

2018-19 Season Primer: Detroit Red Wings

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With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.

Last Season: 30-39-13 record (73 points), fifth in the Atlantic Division (missed the playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $0 per CapFriendly

Key Additions: G Jonathan Bernier (free agent, Colorado), D Jake Chelios (free agent, Carolina), F Wade Megan (free agent, St. Louis), G Harri Sateri (free agent, Florida), F Chris Terry (free agent, Montreal), F Thomas Vanek (free agent, Columbus).

Key Subtractions: G Jared Coreau (free agent, Anaheim), F Matthew Lorito (free agent, New York Islanders), G Thomas McCollum (free agent, Milwaukee, AHL), D Xavier Ouellet (free agent, Montreal), D Dan Renouf (free agent, Carolina), D Robbie Russo (trade, Arizona), F Ben Street (free agent, Anaheim), Eric Tangradi (free agent, New Jersey).

[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Dylan Larkin — The Red Wings finally have the star player they have been looking for after the 22-year-old posted a career-high 63 points last season and could be poised to take that next step this year after signing a five year, $30.5MM contract over the summer. A couple things that could fall in his favor are the fact that Larkin had a low shooting percentage last season, which should improve, while he also saw little power play time, which will obviously change this season.

The best case scenario for Larkin would be to take his game up another notch and perhaps reach the point-per-game plateau, which he is more than capable of. A worst-case scenario might see him struggle to stand out amongst a stable of improving, but hardly amazing crop of forwards. The team can only hope that Larkin can prove he was worth the contract he received and can help lead Detroit move up in the standings. His elite speed makes him one of the best to enter the offensive zone with the puck on his stick, but he must prove that he can put the puck away as well.

Key Storyline: The youth movement is truly beginning this year as several young players look to have legitimate chances to make the roster, including 2017 first-rounder Michael Rasmussen and 2018 first-rounder Filip Zadina. While there has been no guarantee they will make the NHL roster, both have shown their offensive talents off and even if Zadina gets sent down, the 18-year-old can play in the AHL instead. Regardless, a team that was (and still is) an older, veteran team is starting to change its look.

The team is also expected to make some changes on the defensive end of the ice as several young defensemen are challenging for an NHL roster spot, including Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts, Dennis Cholowski and Libor Sulak. The goal is the team should slowly build its way to a young, rebuilt roster.

Overall Outlook: The Red Wings are in a tough transition phase that should keep them near the bottom of the NHL for another season and perhaps give them a shot at consensus No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes next season. With so many aging players that are clogging up their cap, the best fans of the franchise can do is hope that their young players develop as fast as they can to give the team a hope for the future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Carter Rowney, Brian Gibbons, Ben Street, Luke Schenn

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The Anaheim Ducks have announced the signings of four players to fill out their roster as they signed forwards Carter Rowney, Brian Gibbons and Ben Street, while also adding defenseman Luke Schenn. Rowney inked the longest term of the group, signing a three-year deal worth $3.4MM. Gibbons inked a one-year, one-way deal worth $1MM. Street and Schenn both signed one-year deals.

For the Ducks, adding four solid NHL talents should increase the team’s depth which was sorely lacking last year when they were decimated by injuries throughout the season. Re-loading with third and fourth-line forwards as well as adding Schenn to their defense should boost the team.

“We needed to get faster, so the primary goal was to add some speed up front with some depth signings,” said Anaheim general manager Bob Murray. “We also wanted a veteran defenseman with NHL experience and strong leadership traits.”

Rowney has done a nice job working his way up the NHL ladder after originally signing an AHL tryout and now has achieved a three-year deal years later. An energizing center, the 29-year-old has struggled to put up solid numbers with the Pittsburgh Penguins the past two years and has served as a depth centerman. He appeared in 44 games with the Penguins this season, posting two goals and three assists and even appeared in three playoff games for Pittsburgh this season.

Gibbons finally earned his first one-way deal as the energetic, hard-working forward was finally able to break into the New Jersey Devils lineup last season. In 59 games, he posted solid numbers, putting up 12 goals and 14 assists. He had spent the previous two seasons bouncing around the AHL.

Street adds depth and could be a big addition to the team’s AHL franchise the San Diego Gulls. The 31-year-old center played a full season for the Detroit Red Wings affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, posting great numbers. He scored 21 goals and 65 points there and added another eight points in five playoff games.

Schenn adds much depth to the blueline. While the team had a very deep defensive core more than a year ago, the team traded away both Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen last season, leaving them somewhat limited. While their top four features Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Josh Manson and Brandon Montour, they lacked depth for the last two spots. Schenn should figure into that mix nicely. He played the last two years with the Arizona Coyotes, posting seven points in 64 games and already has 708 games of NHL experience under his belt.

TVA’s Renaud Lavoie was the first to break Gibbons deal. TSN’s Brennan Klak reported the signed of Street.

Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings

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Free agency is now a little more 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 Detroit’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Dylan Larkin — After a great start in his rookie year, there were a lot of questions after he struggled in his sophomore campaign when he put up just 32 points. However, the 21-year-old center brushed away any doubts this year, putting up 16 goals and a team-leading 63 points. With a team full of veterans, the Red Wings must begin to depend more and more on Larkin, who is developing into the franchise player they need to center one of their top lines. Add in a recent appearance at the IIHF World Championships where he helped Team USA win a bronze medal and he’s the key to Detroit’s rebuild.

Now coming off his entry-level deal, Larkin is in line for a significant raise from the $1.43MM deal he’s been on for the past three years. Not arbitration eligible, however, the negotiations might get ugly like the one that Andreas Athanasiou dealt with last year, especially with multiple quality players who will be restricted free agents this summer.

Other RFA’s: F Athanasiou, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Martin Frk, F Matej Machovsky, F Anthony Mantha, F Zach Nastasiuk, F Matt Puempel, D Daniel Renouf.

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: D Mike Green — On a positive note, the team doesn’t have any pressing unrestricted free agents. While Green is quite an offensive defenseman, he’s also 32 years old and not necessarily in the team’s long-term plans. The team’s original plan was to trade the veteran blueliner to a playoff contender at the trade deadline and had hoped that he would provide the team with a big haul of picks and/or prospects. Instead, Green got hurt and missed the two weeks prior to the trade deadline and weren’t able to move Green.

While there has been some talk of bringing him back on a short-term deal, he might be able to get a bigger deal elsewhere, but considering defense is one of the team’s biggest weaknesses and not a lot of defensive prospects there to take his place, a reunion is certainly possible.

Other UFA’s: F David Booth, G Jared Coreau, F Turner Elson, F Matt Lorito, G Tom McCollum, F Ben Street, F Eric Tangradi.

Projected Cap Space: With all the bloated veteran contracts the Red Wings have on the books, cap space is something the team has had little of over the past few years. The team did get the contracts of Green, Tomas Tatar, and Petr Mrazek off the books to free up a little room, but they will likely need all of that to re-sign Larkin, Athanasiou, Mantha and Bertuzzi. While general manager Ken Holland says he doesn’t intend to sign any major free agents to long-term deals this summer, he did say he would look at players with shorter term deals, but in the end, the team hopes to bring in some of their youth to fill in the gaps this year.

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