Roster Notes: Pulock, Hammond, Newbury
After a much-needed win last night over the Calgary Flames, the New York Islanders have some more good news this morning. 22-year old defenseman Ryan Pulock has been activated off injured reserve and loaned to Bridgeport of the AHL. The former 15th-overall pick has played in just three games between the two levels this season as he dealt with a broken foot early on.
For the Islanders, Pulock’s return might be an important step in turning their season around. Expected to play a substantial role on the NHL blueline this year, the right-handed shot would slide in nicely beside Calvin de Haan if the team chose that route. He’ll look to get his game back on track at the lower level and force a callup. Last season, Pulock played in 15 NHL contests, notching four points. Even without him, the Islanders have one of the youngest bluelines in the league with Dennis Seidenberg out with a broken jaw.
- According to the AHL transactions page, recently waived goaltender Andrew Hammond has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators prior to tonight’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. Despite the call up, Bruce Garrioch reports that Craig Anderson was first off the ice and will start tonight after winning both games this weekend, allowing just a single goal in the process. The Senators are on a four-game winning streak thanks in big part to the 35-year old netminder who currently carries a .936 save percentage through 17 games.
- Veteran AHL forward Kris Newbury has signed on with the Charlotte Checkers after being released from his Bakersfield PTO. The 34-year old has never been able to find NHL success despite scoring at an impressive rate in the AHL. Newbury has 567 career minor-league points, but has been used exclusively as a fourth-liner grinder and fighter during his short NHL stints around the league.
Thanksgiving Trade Market: Defensemen
Many teams view US Thanksgiving – typically around the one-quarter mark of the season – as the benchmark for evaluating their teams and determining what areas need to be addressed. One area that most teams are always looking to shore up is their defense corps. Some teams will be after top four blueliners while others will be after depth options. There isn’t a big list of players available at this time but here’s a closer look at those that have had their names out there in trade talks so far.
Calvin de Haan (NY Islanders) – On top of shopping goalie Jaroslav Halak, the 25 year old blueliner is also believed to be available. He is a solid stay-at-home second pairing option although he doesn’t bring much offensively to the table. He has a manageable cap hit of a little under $2MM this season but his qualifying offer in the summer jumps to $2.9MM due to the back-loaded nature of his contract.
Deryk Engelland (Calgary) – The Flames made him available earlier this month but there hasn’t been much interest in the 34 year old. He’s off to a decent start with Calgary this year, picking up four points in 22 games but he has seen his average ice time jump up over 18 minutes a night, a career high for him. He has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $2.9MM. For teams that are looking for more of a physical presence on their third line, he will be an option although his cap hit is high for his role.
Jack Johnson (Columbus) – The Blue Jackets are believed to be looking to clear some salary and Johnson, who has a cap hit of $4.35MM this season and next, is one of the players GM Jarmo Kekalainen is willing to move. He hasn’t turned in to the top pairing offensive threat that earned saw him drafted third overall by Carolina in 2005 but he has averaged more than 24 minutes per night the last four years. His minutes are down a bit this year (just under 22 per game) but he is still a top four option in a market largely devoid of them.
Ryan Murphy (Carolina) – The former first round pick (12th overall in 2011) has failed to lock down a full-time role in this, his fourth NHL season. In an effort to get him some game action, the Hurricanes recently sent Murphy to the AHL on a conditioning stint. He has had considerable offensive success at the AHL level (66 points in 86 games) but that has yet to translate to much NHL success (36 points in 128 contests). He has another year past this one remaining on his deal with a cap hit just under $800K and could be a fit for a team looking for some mobility and offense from their back end. However, it’s believed that GM Ron Francis is looking to package him with other pieces for a defensive upgrade.
Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis) – Back at the draft, it was widely expected that the Blues would deal Shattenkirk but no deal came to fruition. With the team already having Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester on big money, long-term deals beyond this season, the expectation is that he will be moved at some point during the season. He’s off to a strong start this year (14 points in 21 games) and will almost assuredly be the most expensive to acquire among potentially available defenders.
Michael Stone (Arizona) – Last week, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal noted (via Twitter) that the pending UFA is on the market. The Coyotes sit last in the league in the standings so it’s not surprising that they’d be looking to move any pending free agents. Stone has dealt with two separate injuries this season and has played in just nine games as a result but had 36 points last season while playing over 22 minutes per game. With a cap hit and salary of $4MM, there should be a lot of suitors for his services.
Atlantic Notes: Leafs Skate, Soshnikov, Blunden
In a scene from a mid-90’s sports movie, the power went out at Maple Leafs practice today as the team was put through a hard practice by head coach Mike Babcock. The Leafs lost 7-0 to the Los Angeles Kings last night and, as Morgan Rielly put it (via Pierre LeBrun)“I think we all understood if we didnt skate last night we were going to skate today.” The young Leafs were on a three game winning streak before getting dismantled by the experienced Kings.
- Also from practice today, Nikita Soshnikov was absent according to David Alter of NHL.com. With a groin injury, the coaching staff didn’t want to put him through the high-tempo practice. Soshnikov only just returned from injury a few games ago, but has contributed two points already and saw time with Auston Matthews during the loss.
- Despite saying that Craig Anderson would be the starter whenever he was with the team, Mike Condon will start for the Sens tonight, according to head coach Guy Boucher. Condon recorded a shutout in his first game for the Sens last week.
- Mike Blunden will be recalled from Binghamton to play tonight for the Senators, though no word has been given on who he’ll be replacing. The 29-year old has four points in nine AHL games thus far.
- According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, Jonathan Drouin is working out on his own, and still has no timetable to return to the Lightning. Drouin was injured a week ago on a hit from Calvin de Haan. Coach Jon Cooper says he’s “gradually coming along” in his recovery.
Garrioch’s Latest: De Haan, Johnson, Sharks Goalies
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun posted his latest Insider Trading column over the weekend. Here are some of the highlights that pertain to trade rumblings from around the NHL:
- Not only are the Islanders shopping goaltender Jaroslav Halak, they’re also looking to deal defenseman Calvin de Haan. The 25 year old has become a quality second pairing stay-at-home defender for the Isles while logging at least 19 minutes per game over each of the last three seasons. One potential reason for him hitting the block is his back-loaded contract. De Haan is in the final year of a three year deal that has a cap hit just under $2MM but a salary of $2.9MM. As a result, his qualifying offer in June must be $2.9MM which may be more than the team is willing to pay.
- The Blue Jackets are looking to clear some salary and while they haven’t been able to find a taker for Scott Hartnell, it’s also believed that they would be interested in dealing blueliner Jack Johnson. The 29 year old is in his sixth season with the team after being acquired from Los Angeles as part of the Jeff Carter trade. While he has put up a 40 point season in Columbus, his scoring has tailed off since then while his ice time is also down this year. He carries a cap hit of just over $4.35MM for this season and next which could limit his suitors unless the Jackets are willing to take a comparable contract back.
- The Sharks have been looking around the league for a backup goaltender but have not had any luck so far. San Jose is currently running with 27 year old rookie Aaron Dell but have given him just one start so far this season. Starting netminder Martin Jones only has 110 career regular season games under his belt so on the surface, a veteran backup would appear to be something that the Sharks could certainly benefit from. However, they have less than $11K in cap space at the moment so any deal would have to send some salary out the other way. Garrioch suggests that forwards Tommy Wingels and Matt Nieto could both be had.