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Goalie Notes: Sparks, Tokarski, Berra

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After an absolutely outstanding season, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Garret Sparks has been named Goaltender of the Year in the AHL. Sparks appeared in 42 games for the Toronto Marlies and went 30-9-1 with a .936 save percentage. This huge year for Sparks—along with a similarly impressive season for teammate Calvin Pickard—creates an interesting problem for the Maple Leafs going forward.

Frederik Andersen is entrenched as the starter, while Curtis McElhinney actually led the NHL in save percentage this season in his limited backup role. Pickard is scheduled to be a restricted free agent while Sparks has one year left on his contract. Both likely deserve another opportunity at the highest level, but it will be tough to displace McElhinney after the season he had.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Dustin Tokarski as a third goaltender for the playoffs, leaving Alex Lyon in the AHL to start for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Tokarski is no stranger to NHL postseason play however, as he started five games for the Montreal Canadiens back in 2014. If the Flyers suffer injuries to their primary goaltenders, it’s nice to have someone with playoff experience as an insurance policy.
  • The Anaheim Ducks on the other hand have sent Reto Berra back to the minor leagues, signalling that John Gibson is indeed ready to return and start Game 1. Gibson’s status was unclear until the last few days, but he’ll try to show he deserves some attention as one of the league’s best when he takes on the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night.

Brassard Trade Notes: Vegas, Reaves, Lindberg, Pouliot, Cole

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After a wild night in which the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, and Vegas Golden Knights put together one of more complex trades in recent memory (here’s a brief summary for those still confused), there are still some questions to be answered. Sportsnet’s John Shannon both asked and answered one of the most prevalent questions: why would the Knights get involved? Rather than simply trading cap space for some minor assets, GM George McPhee’s motivation was a little more devious. Shannon states that McPhee knew Brassard was headed out West, likely to the Winnipeg Jets, unless he could intervene and help him stay in the East. So, not only did Vegas get a player and pick, but they also weakened their playoff competition.

  • That player, Ryan Reaves, was likely no coincidence either. The 31-year-old enforcer has hardly inspired any team to pursue him with his production in 2017-18. However, as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston points out, Reaves played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. His coach while he was there was none other than Kelly McCrimmon, the Assistant GM of the Golden Knights. Some have speculated that the Knights may try to flip Reaves, but given his connection to one of the men in charge, that may not happen.
  • The 2018 fourth-round pick bound for Vegas also has a bit more value than initially suspected. The Athletic’s Seth Rorabaugh clarifies that the pick sent by Pittsburgh was the one acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for Derrick Pouliot last summer. Thus, the Knights will be picking at the top of the fourth round rather than the bottom.
  • What about the prospect heading to Pittsburgh from Vegas? Tobias Lindberg is just 22 and has just six games on NHL experience, but is already used to being in the middle of major trades. Rorabaugh recalls that Lindberg, an Ottawa fourth-rounder in 2013, was shipped to Toronto in the massive Dion Phaneuf trade. He then ended up in Las Vegas when the Leafs acquired Calvin Pickard earlier this year for Lindberg and a sixth-round pick.
  • Finally, the Ottawa Senators are surely happy to have another first-round pick and one of the top goalie prospects in the world now in their grasp, but the stock-up of picks and prospects from this trade won’t end there. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Sens have been receiving calls all day about Ian Cole, the other piece added from Pittsburgh. Ottawa will surely flip the solid rearguard by Monday’s deadline.

Minor Transactions: 01/02/18

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As always, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor transactions right here. Make sure to keep checking back throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/17

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After another wild night in the NHL that saw the Vegas Golden Knights defeat their division rival Los Angeles Kings to secure top spot in the Pacific and second in the entire league, you can be sure there will be some roster movement. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves throughout the day right here. Make sure to refresh regularly.

  • Gabriel Carlsson has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Columbus Blue Jackets, which could signal a return for Zach Werenski. Werenski had been skating as part of the scratch pair for a few days alongside Dean Kukan, who is the other option to enter the lineup in Carlsson’s absence. The Blue Jackets take on the struggling Ottawa Senators tonight.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Calvin Pickard from the minor leagues, announcing that Curtis McElhinney has a lower-body injury. McElhinney was the backup last night when the Maple Leafs took on the Arizona Coyotes and didn’t enter the game, but was expected to start in the second half of a back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche tonight. Instead, it seems likely that Pickard will make his Maple Leafs debut against his old team.
  • After recording an assist in his return to action for the the Iowa Wild last night, Zach Parise has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild. His conditioning stint was not expected to be very long, but he remains on long-term injured reserve as he continues to work his way back. It’s not clear when he’ll be activated by the Wild, but it was a good step towards recovery yesterday for the veteran forward.
  • With Lee Stempniak not ready to go for the Carolina Hurricanes, the team has recalled Lucas Wallmark from the minor leagues. Wallmark played eight games for the club last season, but hasn’t yet suited up this year. In 20 AHL contests, Wallmark has 23 points and continues to prove that he can nearly score at will in the minor leagues.
  • Dalton Prout, having cleared waivers, has been assigned to the minor leagues by the New Jersey Devils. Prout could be called back up in case of injury, but for now will need to ply his trade in the minor leagues.
  • With Martin Hanzal dealing with a minor injury, the Dallas Stars have recalled Jason Dickinson from the AHL. Dickinson, 22, has played five games for the Stars this season but is still looking for his first point.
  • Washington has once again sent Madison Bowey and Jakub Vrana to the minor leagues, but it is likely just a paper transaction. Both players have full-time roles with the Capitals, and are only sent down on off days as a cap saving measure.

Options In Net For The Edmonton Oilers

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Things went from bad to worse for the Edmonton Oilers’ 2017-18 season when dependable starting goaltender Cam Talbot went down with and upper body injury and landed on IR and could remain out through December. His replacement, Laurent Brossoit, is struggling and that’s putting it gently. In 8 appearances, Brossoit has one win, an .872 save percentage, and a 3.80 GAA. Neither of the backup options, Nick Ellis or Eddie Pasquale, has any NHL experience, nor has either been given a chance to gain any just yet, nor has either played remarkably well in the AHL as well. It’s a dire situation for a team that is desperate for wins, or else the face a familiar possibility of finishing as one of the league’s worst teams this season.

So what are the options? TSN’s Frank Servalli believes that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is scouring the trade market for help in net. Servalli lists Buffalo’s Chad Johnson, Winnipeg’s Michael Hutchinson, Philadelphia’s Michal Neuvirth, Toronto’s Calvin Pickard, and Detroit’s Petr Mrazek as the top targets for Edmonton.

Johnson, of course, is known to be on the trade block courtesy of the Sabres’ own struggles and seems to be the best fit of these options as a reliable veteran on a one-year deal. Servalli even states that Johnson, along with Neuvirth, were among the Chiarelli’s free agency targets to be Talbot’s backup. However, as Servalli points out, there could be other suitors for Johnson, which could drive the price up.

More affordable assets to acquire could be Hutchinson or Pickard, due to their teams’ depth in goal. The Maple Leafs acquired Pickard from the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this year, but with Frederik Andersen playing well, a veteran backup in Curtis McElhinney, and other promising young goalies in Garret Sparks and Kasimir Kaskisuo in line, Pickard is expendable. So too could be McElhinney or Sparks as well, if Chiarelli favors those Toronto alternatives. In Winnipeg, the thriving Jets are doing just fine with Connor Hellebuyck, rookie Eric Comrie, and expensive free agent acquistion Steve Mason as their net rotation. A solid goaltender with ties to Chiarelli from the Boston Bruins, fourth-string Hutchinson seems like a likely target.

Mrazek and Neuvirth less so. Mrazek is still young, is making $4MM, and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. It is likely that he would be costly to acquire and costly to re-sign, when the Oilers really just need a stopgap. Neuvirth, who has a year remaining at $2.5MM, could replace Brossoit as the long-term backup to Talbot if Chiarelli so chooses, but also seems like an unlikely acquisition. AHL goaltenders from both the Red Wings and Flyers – Jared Coreau and Alex Lyon – might actually make more sense.

Other options: Eddie Lack or David Rittich from the rival Calgary Flames, Colorado’s Andrew Hammond, Anaheim’s Reto Berra, L.A.’s Jack Campbell or Jeff Zatkoff, and several more. The options are there, so the pressure is on Chiarelli to find a fair deal and to do it soon. Edmonton may simply lose upcoming games regardless of who is in net, but if the team continues forward with only Brossoit, the blame will fall on the front office for not doing something to at least increase their chances.

Golden Knights Place Fleury, Marchessault On IR

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The Las Vegas Golden Knights may have had a nice start to their inaugural season, but Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweeted that the team just placed two of their best players on injured reserve today in Marc-Andre Fleury and Jon Marchessault. No word on how serious their injuries are. The Golden Knights confirmed the transactions and announced they will call up prospect Alex Tuch and goaltender Maxime Legace from Chicago of the AHL.

The loss of Fleury, who has been the face of the franchise, is devastating to a team who lacks a solid backup goaltender. Fleury has helped lead Vegas through their first three victories, but the goaltender took a knee to the head from Anthony Mantha in the middle of Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. While nothing has been officially declared by the Golden Knights about his injury, rumors that he has suffered a concussion have surfaced. Fleury has had multiple issues with concussions in his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, so the team will likely be cautious with the 32-year-old veteran. He was having a good season so far in four games with Vegas, as he 2.48 GAA and a .925 save percentage. If you remove the last period he played (coincidentally, after he took the knee to the head), those numbers would be even better as he allowed four goals in that one period alone.

For the time being, the team will have to put their faith in backup Malcolm Subban. In fact, Subban will start tonight against his former team, the Boston Bruins. Just 12 days ago, Vegas decided to claim Subban from the Bruins and place their veteran backup, Calvin Pickard, on waivers. Pickard cleared waivers and the Golden Knights traded him to Toronto in exchange for prospect Tobias Lindberg and a 2018 sixth-round pick three days after that. Subban has little NHL experience. He played one partial game back in 2014-15 and another partial game last year, totaling 62 minutes and allowed three goals in each outing. In the preaseason this year for the Bruins, Subban played in four games, finishing with a 2.71 GAA and a .889 save percentage.

Marchessault, who has been playing on the Golden Knights top scoring line, is listed out with a lower-body injury. The 26-year-old wing scored 30 goals for the Florida Panthers last year before being claimed by Vegas in the expansion draft. He so far has just one goal in the team’s first four games. He will be replaced by Tuch, who was one of the top players for Vegas in the preseason. A physical player, Tuch was praised for his work on the boards and gritty, hard-working style. He was forced to go to Chicago because he was waiver-eligible on a roster full of non-waiver eligible players. Tuch has taken advantage of his time in Chicago. In three games with the Wolves, Tuch had four goals and an assist. The 21-year-old was a first-round pick by the Minnesota Wild back in 2014.

The team also recalled Lagace to be the team’s backup. Lagace, 24, has spent the last few years going back and forth between the AHL and the ECHL. He played for the Texas Stars last year in the AHL and played in 32 games, putting up a 3.56 GAA and a .883 save percentage. This year for the Wolves, Legace has allowed eight goals in two games with a 4.05 GAA.

Evening Notes: Sanheim, Palmieri, Subban, Rasmussen

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The Philadelphia Flyers chose to carry eight defensemen out of training camp, but Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that general manager Ron Hextall wants to drop that to seven soon, perhaps even after tonight’s game with the Anaheim Ducks. The Flyers are going to give rookie defenseman Travis Sanheim a chance to redeem himself after some opening night struggles. If he can play well, the scribe writes the team will hold onto the 21-year-old former first-rounder.

Sanheim’s NHL debut on Thursday was disappointing and has left the Flyers wondering if the blueliner is ready for the NHL or might need more time developing in the AHL. He was responsible for allowing the first goal against the Kings (they lost 2-0) and then took a four-minute high sticking penalty and was on the ice for the other goal. That type of performance doesn’t look good when the team has another former first-rounder in Samuel Morin who will be a healthy scratch tonight for the third straight game.

If Sanheim shows some success on the ice, Carchidi believes the team will likely send down Morin. However, another disappointing game could lead to Sanheim heading out of town.

  • The New Jersey Devils suffered through a few injuries during their game today against the Colorado Avalanche, including injuries to Kyle Palmieri, Andy Greene and Drew Stafford. Palmieri went knee-to-knee with Colorado defenseman Eric Johnson and didn’t return, while Stafford suffered a lower-body injury and also didn’t return. Greene returned for the third period from an undisclosed injury. Stafford and Palmieri will be further evaluated Sunday, according to Chris Ryan of NewJersey.com.
  • Cat Silverman of The Athletic (subscription needed) writes that Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltending coach Dave Prior was a big fan of recently claimed Malcolm Subban and might be the reason why the team swapped backup goaltenders recently. Subban, a flashy, quick-moving goaltender becomes Prior’s long-term project. The goaltender has only two games of NHL experience, but had solid numbers for the Providence Bruins and had a good preseason. According to Silverman, Prior was not overly thrilled to work with Calvin Pickard, who lacked the speed and was a more by-the-book goaltender. Pickard has since been moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) writes about the enigma that is 6-foot-7 center Michael Rasmussen, who he says was being hyped as a top-10 pick when he shouldn’t have been, and yet, the Detroit Red Wings ended up taking him No. 9 and being criticized for it. He writes, however, despite all the criticism, Detroit looks like it got a good investment from it after all. The youngster has developed nicely and looked good during Red Wings training camp.

Atlantic Notes: Athanasiou, Turris, Pickard

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Although the Red Wings aren’t shopping unsigned winger Andreas Athanasiou, they are listening to trade offers for him, reports Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required).  However, they have set a high asking price for the 23-year-old as Custance notes that Detroit is seeking a top-four defenseman or a young center in return.

Athanasiou and the Red Wings continue to be far apart in contract talks in both one-year and two-year offers.  With no resolution on the horizon, the winger has now flown to Switzerland to begin skating with HC Lugano of the NLA and while there is no contract in place to play yet, his presence over there will only fuel the trade speculation even further.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • With the report earlier in the week that the Senators and center Kyle Turris aren’t close on a contract extension and that a trade could be a possibility, Postmedia’s Don Brennan speculates that the report may have stemmed from a rival general manager as neither the team nor Turris benefits from this coming out this early. Turris is no stranger to a contract squabble having had a holdout with the Coyotes in the past but considering it’s only October, it’s far too early to call this situation another one.  However, it’s likely that he will be looking for a long-term deal given the demand for centers out there so if Ottawa wants to keep him around, they may have to go more years than they’d prefer to.
  • After acquiring goaltender Calvin Pickard on Friday, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston suggests that he’s not a candidate to stay as a third-string goaltender with the Maple Leafs for too long which could have Curtis McElhinney’s roster spot in jeopardy. Pickard is nine years younger and has a decent NHL track record despite playing on a subpar Colorado team so while McElhinney has a two-year contract in tow, that might not be enough to keep him on the roster and off the waiver wire once Pickard gets some games in at the AHL level.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Calvin Pickard

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired recently waived goaltender Calvin Pickard from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for prospect Tobias Lindberg and a 2018 sixth-round draft pick. Since he has already cleared waivers, Pickard will be assigned to the Toronto Marlies immediately. In Vegas, the team now has room to activate James Neal from the injured list for tonight’s game.

As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports, Vegas had been trying to trade Pickard all week after claiming Malcolm Subban off waivers from the Boston Bruins, but couldn’t find a taker until he had cleared. Teams like Toronto likely weren’t willing to waive their own backups in order to keep Pickard on the roster. Their emphasis on draft capital is clear, turning one of their assets into another pick for the 2018 draft.

They also receive a prospect in Lindberg who will join his third organization. Originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth-round of the 2013 draft, Lindberg was part of the package sent to Toronto for Dion Phaneuf. He made his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs at the end of that season, but couldn’t crack the improved roster a year ago. It was a disappointing season even at the AHL level, where he registered just 16 points in 44 games. Lindberg has size and speed, and dominated the OHL in his one year of Canadian junior hockey. Still, he hasn’t made much of an impact at the professional level and is close to being considered a non-prospect. At 22 there is still room to grow, but it will take a lot of work to make an impact at the NHL level.

For the Maple Leafs, acquiring Pickard gives them something they’ve rarely had over the years: goaltending depth. While Frederik Andersen remains the unquestioned starter, Toronto cycled through backup goaltenders last year until a waiver claim of Curtis McElhinney gave them some sort of stability. McElhinney was re-signed to a two-year deal this summer, but is already 34 and could take a step backwards at any moment. With Pickard in tow, the Maple Leafs now have another name that could step into the backup role at a moment’s notice.

Martin Marincin, Calvin Pickard Clear Waivers

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According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, both Martin Marincin and Calvin Pickard have cleared waivers. In Marincin’s case, it isn’t much of a surprise after the 25-year old failed to win a spot in training camp once again. The Maple Leafs have assigned him to the Toronto Marlies and recalled Calle Rosen, who was part of that training camp battle just a few days ago.

In Pickard’s case, there is no guarantee he will be assigned to the minor leagues right away. Instead, he could be dangled as trade bait since he would be able to go to the AHL for any team around the league. The Golden Knights currently have three goaltenders on the roster, after successfully claiming Malcolm Subban this week.

Either way, sliding Pickard through waivers now looks like a well-timed move by GM George McPhee, as he waited until teams were reticent to install a new backup goaltender. While Pickard has shown the ability to succeed at the NHL level, a bad preseason may have soured some on his potential going forward. The Golden Knights will get to keep him as an asset, though their minor league affiliate already has three goaltenders, since they’re allowing St. Louis to also send players.

Jordan Binnington, Oscar Dansk and Maxime Lagace were on the Chicago Wolves’ opening roster, which would leave little room for Pickard unless someone (or two) were moved down to the ECHL. That said, the Golden Knights still only have 11 forwards healthy and on the roster. Since no one else was placed on waivers today, if Pickard isn’t assigned somewhere, they’ll have to either dress seven defensemen, place another player on injured reserve, or make a trade of some sort to open a roster spot.

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