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Cory Conacher

Minor Transactions: 12/06/19

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The NHL has just five games on the schedule for this evening, including Phil Kessel’s return to Pittsburgh and a matchup of two last place teams in New Jersey. As teams prepare for a big weekend, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Aleksi Saarela for the first time since acquiring him from the Chicago Blackhawks in late-October. Saarela has now amazingly been traded three times in his short career but is still waiting for his first NHL opportunity. The 22-year old was picked in the third round by the New York Rangers and was originally part of the deal for Eric Staal in 2016.
  • Jonathan Davidsson, another one of the Ottawa Senators’ top prospects, has been recalled to the NHL once again. The 22-year old forward was part of the return for Matt Duchene last season and made his debut for the club earlier this year.
  • Because the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t playing today, they’ve sent Cory Conacher back to the minor leagues. Conacher has served as injury insurance the last while for the Lightning, but Alex Killorn was healthy enough to suit up last night.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Filip Zadina as expected, after giving him the week with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings had several days off between games, during which Zadina played another AHL game to stay fresh.
  • Boo Nieves is on his way back to the AHL, assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers today. Nieves has played four games in the NHL this season but is still more of a minor league depth option at this point.
  • Cameron Schilling has been returned to the Manitoba Moose without playing in a single game for the Winnipeg Jets. The 31-year old defenseman has just ten NHL games over his career, four of which came last season with the Jets.
  • Otto Koivula has been returned to the AHL after playing fewer than five minutes in his last game for the New York Islanders. The young forward is an interesting prospect, but was seeing so little ice time in his first NHL season that the minor leagues may still be best for his development.
  • Nikolay Goldobin has been returned to the AHL after playing just a single game for the Vancouver Canucks since his recall two weeks ago. The 24-year old has been great at the minor league level once again, but can’t seem to get himself a chance at the NHL.

Minor Transactions: 12/05/19

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The Metropolitan Division kept on rolling last night, with wins by both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. That group has five teams that would be divisional playoff seeds in the Atlantic, meaning they are running away with the wild card positions at the moment. With nine games on the schedule for tonight, we’ll see if the other Metro teams can keep pace.

  • The Ottawa Senators have sent Erik Brannstrom and Marcus Hogberg back to the AHL, probably a good decision for the development of their young defenseman at this point. Brannstrom was the prize for Mark Stone last season and needs to grow into that first-pairing option that the Senators believed he could be.
  • Cory Conacher has been brought right back to the Tampa Bay Lightning today, though he wasn’t in the morning skate lines as the group prepares for their game against the Minnesota Wild.
  • Tom Kuhnhackl has been placed on long-term injured reserve in order to get him a conditioning stint with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, which actually signals that the veteran forward is getting closer to a return. Kuhnhackl has played just six games for the New York Islanders this season and is still looking for his first point.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have sent Logan O’Connor back to the minor leagues, suggesting that Gabriel Landeskog might be close to returning. The captain has been out for the last several weeks, but after Mikko Rantanen’s recent return the Avalanche are getting closer to full strength.
  • Matt Tennyson has been placed on injured reserve by the New Jersey Devils, while Jack Hughes returned to practice. The Devils are in a state of turmoil after firing head coach John Hynes, but will hopefully get their star forward into the lineup.

Minor Transactions: 12/03/19

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There are ten games on the schedule for this evening around the NHL, including a rematch of the Eastern Conference Final when the Carolina Hurricanes travel to take on the Boston Bruins. The Bruins haven’t lost a game in regulation in nearly a month, while the Hurricanes are still battling to hold onto a Metropolitan Division playoff spot. As they and the rest of the league prepares for tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • Nicolas Roy has been returned to the minor leagues by the Vegas Golden Knights, after his latest emergency recall. Roy has actually played in seven games for the NHL club this season, recording three points and six penalty minutes.
  • Curtis Lazar too has been sent to the minor leagues, this time by the Buffalo Sabres. The 24-year old has been great in the AHL, but still can’t find a level of consistency in the NHL that warrants a full-time roster spot.
  • With the Toronto Maple Leafs back in action tonight, Martin Marincin is back up to serve as insurance. The team likely won’t insert the lanky defenseman into the lineup unless an injury occurs, but now that he has cleared waivers he can pop up and down on game days.
  • Robin Lehner must have felt better this morning, as the Chicago Blackhawks returned Kevin Lankinen to the minor leagues. The young goaltender was recalled when Lehner was experiencing flu-like symptoms, but won’t get a chance to see any NHL action.
  • Cory Conacher is up in Tampa Bay, as the Lightning prepare for their game against the Nashville Predators. The move is likely done so that they’ll have an option if Alex Killorn can’t go tonight, though Conacher has plenty of experience if he’s forced into the lineup.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Josh Mahura and Max Comtois, while sending Max Jones back to the AHL. Jones has just five points in 23 games this season for the Ducks, but may get a chance to get his game back on track in the minor leagues. The Ducks’ young forwards are all having a tough go in the NHL this season but have plenty of time to grow and develop.
  • Filip Zadina and Taro Hirose have been sent to the minor leagues by the Detroit Red Wings, as the team doesn’t play again until Saturday. Zadina is a key part of the team’s future and actually has an assist in each of the last two NHL games he has played.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have made several changes, recalling Joel Persson while assigning Caleb Jones and Stuart Skinner to the minor leagues. Matt Benning has also been moved to injured reserve. With Skinner heading back to the AHL, Mike Smith must be healthy enough to at least serve as a backup for the Oilers.

Minor Transactions: 11/29/19

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If you weren’t satisfied with the afternoon football action yesterday, the NHL has a treat for you. The league gets an early start when the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins clash this afternoon, while eight other games also get early starts. In that first game of the day, the Rangers will try to somehow contain one of the league’s best lines and slow down David Pastrnak, who has six goals in his last five games.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Martin Marincin to the minor leagues, where he’ll play against the Rochester Americans tonight. The Maple Leafs are in Buffalo to take on the Sabres and weren’t going to use Marincin, meaning he can get in some game action for the AHL Marlies instead.
  • With Steven Stamkos returning today after a short absence, the Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Cory Conacher to the minor leagues. Scott Wedgewood is up in his place, giving the team three goaltenders for the time being.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Clark Bishop, despite the 23-year old forward earning just three points in 19 games for the Charlotte Checkers this season. Bishop certainly isn’t known for his offensive chops and won’t be asked to play in that role for the Hurricanes, if he gets into a game at all.
  • Brett Seney has been sent to the minor leagues by the New Jersey Devils, who played in two games with the team during his recall. The 23-year old Seney has 18 points in 19 games for the Binghamton Devils this year after spending most of 2018-19 with New Jersey.
  • Joseph Blandisi has been recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of their game this evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Blandisi has been up and down all season, splitting time in the NHL and AHL.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Gustav Olofsson, placing Paul Byron on injured reserve to make room. Olofsson’s addition gives the team eight defensemen on the roster with Christian Folin still on his conditioning stint in the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/19

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After a quiet two days the NHL is back in full force tonight with 26 teams in action. That includes Pat Maroon and Kevin Shattenkirk returning to St. Louis to take on their former team, this time suiting up for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are floundering in sixth place in the Atlantic Division but have played the fewest games of any team in the league and still have plenty of time to turn things around. While teams prepare for the busy night, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • Those Lightning are dealing with a few bumps and bruises, so Cory Conacher has been recalled from the minor leagues to serve as some extra forward depth for this evening. The 29-year old Conacher has one again found success in the minor leagues, scoring 12 points in 16 games this season for the Syracuse Crunch.
  • Adam Werner has been sent back to the Colorado Eagles as the Avalanche goaltenders start to get healthy, but the team has also made another transaction. A.J. Greer has been recalled according to Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic, giving the young forward another chance at the NHL. Greer was a second-round pick in 2015 but has played just 37 games so far for the Avalanche, scoring six points.
  • The Calgary Flames will try to insert even more physicality into the lineup after recalling Zac Rinaldo from the minor leagues. The team has sent the struggling Tobias Rieder to the AHL in his place. Rinaldo, has played in 351 NHL games, recording 719 penalty minutes.

Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Three Players

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Luke Schenn, Cory Conacher and Alexander Volkov from the minor leagues as they deal with last night’s injuries. Victor Hedman and Pat Maroon both left the game and did not return, though they have been listed as day-to-day along with Anthony Cirelli.

While Schenn has more than 700 games of NHL experience and Conacher has been around professional hockey for a decade, Volkov’s name is the most interesting one of the group.

The 22-year old forward was picked by the Lightning in the 2017 draft and has excelled in the minor leagues for the last two seasons. This year in training camp he came oh-so-close to securing a roster spot, but ended up back in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch. After three points in his first three games for that team, he’ll try his hand at the NHL level for the first time.

The Lightning continue to produce NHL caliber players through their strong development system, filling in the gaps behind their stars on the roster. Volkov is just the latest player drafted outside the first round to get an opportunity, however short. He joins Mathieu Joseph, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, Cedric Paquette and Cirelli as Lightning draft picks from round two or later on the current roster.

Atlantic Notes: Divisional Upgrades?, McAvoy, Barre-Boulet

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Despite quite a bit of movement this offseason, it doesn’t look like much has changed in the Atlantic Division. With three teams that have dominated the division for the past few seasons, several teams were hoping to vault themselves into contention for the top of the Atlantic. However, The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) analyzes each line of each divisional team and comes to the conclusion that little has changed.

The Boston Bruins are in the top half of the division on almost every line from forwards to defensemen and especially show off their defensive depth to still be ranked at the top. The Toronto Maple Leafs have also improved their team with a number of defensive additions and have quite a bit of forward depth as always, but their third-pairing depth is expected to be at the bottom of the division. Tampa Bay continues to be one of the strongest teams with a number of top lines throughout the division.

While many feel that Florida has taken that next step after the team signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and added a pair of depth forwards in Brett Connolly and Noel Acciari, the Panthers find themselves in the middle of the pack for most of their lines. Even Bobrovsky doesnt’ give Florida that big of an advantage considering that he’s now in a division with Frederik Andersen, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tuukka Rask and Carey Price.

  • The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont writes that after the Boston Bruins inked forward Danton Heinen to a two-year deal at $2.8MM AAV, the Bruins will now focus their attention on their two most challenging restricted free agents in Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. The negotiations should prove challenging as the team hopes to keep their combined total to under $10MM per season. The team should be able to handle that. However, if they combine for closer to $11-12MM, the team will have to make some roster moves to free up some cap space. McAvoy, who has scored 14 goals and 60 points over two seasons and has proven the ability to be the team’s lead defenseman should get the most of that money, but Carlo’s development seems to have increased his value during the playoffs and he should get quite a raise as well.
  • With some openings at the bottom of their offensive depth chart, NHL.com’s Bryan Burns writes in his recent mailbag piece that there are a number of AHL players that are ready to challenge for these openings, including Alex Barre-Boulet, Carter Verhaeghe at the top of the list. Barre-Boulet, who the team signed out of the QMJHL after he went undrafted, dominated in his first season in the AHL last season, while Verhaeghe finally posted a dominant season with the Syracuse Crunch after toiling in the ECHL for several years. Tampa Bay, which has proven to be proficient in developing their players for NHL duty, also have a number of other prospects close to ready as well, including Alexander Volkov, Mitchell Stephens and Cory Conacher.

Four Players Added To AHL All-Star Rosters

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While the NHL All-Star Game has to deal with players pulling out due to injury, the AHL contest also has to deal with players being recalled at a moment’s notice. That forces the league to replace players regularly, and today they’ve added four new names to the upcoming event.

Jordan Szwarz, Christian Wolanin, Nathan Gerbe and Cooper Marody have all been added, given the lack of availability for Ryan Fitzgerald, Lawrence Pilut, Zac Dalpe and Conor Garland. Wolanin was just sent down by the Ottawa Senators today, just in time to play in the AHL even that takes place on Sunday and Monday. The full rosters now sit as follows:

Atlantic Division:

F Greg Carey, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Michael Dal Colle, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
F Colin McDonald, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Anthony Greco, Springfield Thunderbirds
F Andrew Poturalski, Charlotte Checkers
F Jordan Szwarz, Providence Bruins

D Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
D Ethan Prow, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
D Trevor Carrick, Charlotte Checkers
D John Gilmour, Hartford Wolf Pack

G Samuel Montembeault, Springfield Thunderbirds
G Vitek Vanecek, Hershey Bears

North Division:

F Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators
F Alex Belzile, Laval Rocket
F Reid Boucher, Utica Comets
F Cory Conacher, Syracuse Crunch
F Nathan Gerbe, Cleveland Monsters
F Trevor Moore, Toronto Marlies
F John Quenneville, Binghamton Devils

D Christian Wolanin, Belleville Senators
D Zach Redmond, Rochester Americans
D Calle Rosen, Toronto Marlies

G MacKenzie Blackwood, Binghamton Devils
G Connor Ingram, Syracuse Crunch

Central Division:

F Joel L’Esperance, Texas Stars
F Daniel Carr, Chicago Wolves
F Denis Gurianov, Texas Stars
F Jordan Kyrou, San Antonio Rampage
F Cal O’Reilly, Iowa Wild
F Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins
F Logan Shaw, Manitoba Moose

D Erik Brannstrom, Chicago Wolves
D Andrew Campbell, Rockford IceHogs
D Matt Donovan, Milwaukee Admirals

G Troy Grosenick, Milwaukee Admirals
G Kaapo Kahkonen, Iowa Wild

Pacific Division:

F Andrew Agozzino, Colorado Eagles
F Joseph Gambardella, Bakersfield Condors
F Cooper Marody, Bakersfield Condors
F Curtis Lazar, Stockton Heat
F Francis Perron, San Jose Barracuda
F Sheldon Rempal, Ontario Reign
F Troy Terry, San Diego Gulls

D Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners
D Jacob Middleton, San Jose Barracuda
D Sean Walker, Ontario Reign

G Pavel Francouz, Colorado Eagles
G Josef Korenar, San Jose Barracuda

AHL All-Star Rosters Announced

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While the NHL announced their All-Star rosters this week to the ire of some fans, there are other professional hockey players suiting up in a mid-season exhibition this year. The AHL has released their own All-Star rosters, which include both veteran minor league players and prospects still getting their feet wet at the professional level.

The full rosters are below:

Atlantic Division:

F Henrik Borgstrom, Springfield Thunderbirds
F Greg Carey, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Michael Dal Colle, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
F Ryan Fitzgerald, Providence Bruins
F Janne Kuokkanen, Charlotte Checkers
F Colin McDonald, Lehigh Valley Phantoms

D Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
D Ethan Prow, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
D Trevor Carrick, Charlotte Checkers
D John Gilmour, Hartford Wolf Pack

G Samuel Montembeault, Springfield Thunderbirds
G Vitek Vanecek, Hershey Bears

North Division:

F Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators
F Alex Belzile, Laval Rocket
F Reid Boucher, Utica Comets
F Cory Conacher, Syracuse Crunch
F Zac Dalpe, Cleveland Monsters
F Trevor Moore, Toronto Marlies
F John Quenneville, Binghamton Devils

D Lawrence Pilut, Rochester Americans
D Zach Redmond, Rochester Americans
D Calle Rosen, Toronto Marlies

G MacKenzie Blackwood, Binghamton Devils
G Connor Ingram, Syracuse Crunch

Central Division:

F Mason Appleton, Manitoba Moose
F Daniel Carr, Chicago Wolves
F Denis Gurianov, Texas Stars
F Jordan Kyrou, San Antonio Rampage
F Cal O’Reilly, Iowa Wild
F Brandon Pirri, Chicago Wolves
F Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins

D Erik Brannstrom, Chicago Wolves
D Andrew Campbell, Rockford IceHogs
D Matt Donovan, Milwaukee Admirals

G Collin Delia, Rockford IceHogs
G Kaapo Kahkonen, Iowa Wild

Pacific Division:

F Andrew Agozzino, Colorado Eagles
F Joseph Gambardella, Bakersfield Condors
F Conor Garland, Tucson Roadrunners
F Curtis Lazar, Stockton Heat
F Francis Perron, San Jose Barracuda
F Sheldon Rempal, Ontario Reign
F Troy Terry, San Diego Gulls

D Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners
D Jacob Middleton, San Jose Barracuda
D Sean Walker, Ontario Reign

G Pavel Francouz, Colorado Eagles
G Josef Korenar, San Jose Barracuda

David Ullstrom, Eric Gryba, Brian Lashoff On Waivers

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Friday: All three players have cleared. Gryba and Ullstrom have both been assigned to the minor leagues, Binghamton and Tucson respectively.

Thursday: According to Craig Morgan of The Athletic, the Arizona Coyotes have placed David Ullstrom on waivers, indicating that he is close to recovered from his most recent injury. Ullstrom was on season-opening injured reserve to this point, but will report to the Tucson Roadrunners if he clears waivers. Eric Gryba of the New Jersey Devils has also been placed on waivers according to Corey Masisak of The Athletic, and Brian Lashoff finds himself in the same situation according to CapFriendly. Cory Conacher meanwhile has cleared and will be assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, while Phillip Di Giuseppe has cleared but will remain with the Carolina Hurricanes for now.

Ullstrom, now 29, has been an enigma for his entire career. Selected 102nd overall in 2008, early on he looked like a steal for the New York Islanders given his size and speed while playing center on a regular basis. It’s hard to find quality centers that late in the draft, and when he made his North American debut in 2010 he found immediate success with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL, scoring 41 points in 67 games. Unfortunately, that would be his career high at any level to this point.

After two cups of coffee with the Islanders in which he rarely showed the kind of promise he had in the minor leagues, Ullstrom was off to the KHL where he’d bounce around to five different teams. He returned to Sweden in 2017 to play for his former club, HV71, but signed with the Coyotes this summer to give the NHL another crack. He hasn’t played this season due to injury, and now he’ll have to make his mark in the minor leagues once again. All the measurables are there with Ullstrom, but he’s never been able to put it all together for a prolonged period of time.

Gryba on the other hand is a veteran defenseman just looking for a way back into the NHL. After not seeing the minor leagues for a few consecutive seasons, he found himself back in the AHL last year after being waived by the Edmonton Oilers. A buyout followed in the summer, and Gryba had to work to earn himself a contract this year with the Devils. Unfortunately, that hasn’t turned into any NHL action just yet. A trip to waivers might be the best thing for him, given the need for defensemen around the league, and his $700K cap hit may be attractive to some teams—even perhaps Edmonton, who has had trouble with the bottom of their group. There’s a real chance that Gryba is claimed, but if not he’ll have to face the minor leagues once again.

Lashoff too is coming off season-opening injured reserve, and seems unlikely to be claimed at this point. The veteran defenseman has played just 17 NHL games since 2014, and is a full-time minor league player for the Detroit Red Wings. He’ll likely spend the entire season in the minor leagues unless the Red Wings are hit with more injuries to their defense, but even then the franchise would likely turn to younger more dynamic options.

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