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Dominic Toninato

Jets Recall Dominic Toninato On Emergency Basis

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After a victory over Buffalo last night, Winnipeg is back in action tonight against Arizona.  At least one forward who played Friday is questionable for this game, however, as the team announced (Twitter link) that center Dominic Toninato has been recalled from AHL Manitoba under emergency conditions.

The 29-year-old has been limited to just five games with the Moose this season due to injury although he has been productive in those appearances, notching a goal and three assists.  Toninato was similarly productive in the minors last year, tallying 19 goals and 16 helpers in 50 contests.

This is Toninato’s fourth season with Winnipeg and he has seen NHL action in the first three, including 2021-22 when he was a regular for most of the year, suiting up 77 times.  Going back to his previous teams, he has made an appearance at the top level in each of the last seven years, spanning 169 games in total where he has a dozen goals and 18 assists.

It’s unclear which forward’s availability is in question for tonight’s game and it’s worth noting that Winnipeg could easily go back to dressing seven defensemen anyway; Nate Schmidt was a healthy scratch against the Sabres.  But if they want to go with a standard deployment, Toninato might have a chance to extend that stretch of NHL appearances to eight straight seasons tonight.

West Notes: Blueger, Toninato, Kesselring

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Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Province is reporting that Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger is getting close to making his Canucks debut. The 29-year-old has yet to dress this season after he was injured in a preseason game in early October while blocking a shot. Neither Blueger nor the Canucks have specified what the issue is with Blueger, but Johnston believes the injury is a bone bruise.

Blueger practiced with the Canucks today for their full practice, it was the first time he has done so since he suffered the injury on October 6th. The native of Riga, Latvia skated with a group of fourth liners in Sam Lafferty, Nils Höglander, and Anthony Beauvillier. The Canucks could certainly use Blueger’s penalty-killing prowess as they have been as bad shorthanded this year as they were last year with a success rate of just 77.3%.

The Canucks take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night in Ottawa, and if Blueger can’t make his return then, it could happen before the end of their road trip.

In other West notes:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have returned forward Dominic Toninato back to their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose. The 29-year-old was called up by the Jets on October 20th but did not dress in an NHL game and will now head back to the AHL where he has a goal and an assist in two AHL games this season. The Duluth, Minnesota native is just two years removed from dressing in 77 games for the Jets in a single season and will likely receive another call-up later in the season should the Jets run into injury issues.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from their AHL affiliate the Tucson Roadrunners as they get set to head out on a five-game road trip. Kesselring has yet to dress in an NHL game this season but has spent some time with the Coyotes. The club made the move today to add emergency depth in case they need it while they are away from home. Kesselring has dressed in six AHL games with the Roadrunners this season and has been held scoreless. Last season, the 23-year-old played nine games with Arizona, posting three assists.

Transaction Notes: Zohorna, Toninato, Honka

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that forward Radim Zohorna has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. In addition, forward Jansen Harkins has cleared waivers and been assigned to Wilkes-Barre Scranton. Harkins, 26, arrived in Pittsburgh via a waiver claim from the Winnipeg Jets, and has played in four NHL games for the Penguins. He hasn’t registered a point in that span and most recently was playing on head coach Mike Sullivan’s third line alongside Drew O’Connor and Lars Eller.

Harkins has been a stellar AHLer in the past, such as last season when he scored 50 points in just 44 games for the Manitoba Moose, so he’s likely to be an impact forward in Wilkes-Barre Scranton. Harkins’ replacement, Zohorna, brings more size to the Penguins’ bottom-six, though he has not produced as well in North America as Harkins has. The Penguins’ bottom-six forwards as a whole have left the team wanting more, so perhaps this move will help spark an uptick in form for the Penguins’ bottom-sixers.

Some other transaction-related notes from across the NHL:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled veteran center Dominic Toninato from their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. With Gabriel Vilardi now out for an extended period, the Jets were in need of a new player to serve as the organization’s 13th forward. Toninato, who has 37 points in his last 52 AHL games, is a reliable veteran pivot for head coach Rick Bowness to work with, and he’s likely to fill in on the team’s fourth line should he end up dressing for games.
  • Carolina Hurricanes defensive prospect Anttoni Honka has been loaned to JYP Jyväskylä of the Finnish Liiga, the club he’s played almost all of his 205-game Liiga career with. The 23-year-old 2019 third-round pick was originally slated to play ECHL hockey with the Norfolk Admirals, but rather than play third-tier hockey in North America he appears to have chosen to return to Finland’s top league. Since the Hurricanes currently do not have an AHL affiliate, the team has struggled to find places in the AHL for its prospects to develop. Honka joins 2020 41st overall pick Noel Gunler as Hurricanes prospects originally sent to the ECHL who have instead elected to continue their development in Europe.

Winnipeg Jets Extend Dominic Toninato

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The Winnipeg Jets signed forward Dominic Toninato to a two-year, two-way contract extension Wednesday, the team announced. The contract carries the league minimum cap hit of $775,000.

Toninato, 29, was a full-time fixture on Winnipeg’s fourth line in 2021-22. With younger talent forcing Winnipeg’s hand during training camp, though, Toninato has instead been relegated to an AHL role for the most part this season.

In his third year in the Jets organization, Toninato played 50 games in the minors after playing just five combined the previous two years. He’s done well enough with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, notching 35 points in 50 games. He also appeared in five games with the Jets during the first part of the season before clearing waivers in December.

Initially a 2012 fifth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it took Toninato another five years to land his first NHL contract – an entry-level commitment with the Colorado Avalanche after wrapping up four seasons at the University of Minnesota’s Duluth campus. After two seasons in the Avs’ system, Toninato, then a restricted free agent, was dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for depth defender Jacob MacDonald.

With Florida in 2020, Toninato would record 11 points in 46 games before making his playoff debut in the team’s Qualifying Round loss to the New York Islanders. Florida opted not to qualify Toninato at the end of the season, paving the way for him to sign as an unrestricted free agent with the Jets.

Now on his third contract with Winnipeg, Toninato is an experienced call-up option if needed in a pinch, with 175 regular-season and playoff games under his belt.

Winnipeg Jets Recall Dominic Toninato

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The Winnipeg Jets have recalled forward Dominic Toninato from their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. After playing 77 games last season, Toninato has spent most of this season in the AHL, save for a run of four games in November that he spent with the Jets.

The move puts the veteran forward back on the Jets’ roster in advance of tonight’s regular-season finale against the Colorado Avalanche, and serves as a nice reward for the quality season he’s turned in with the Jets’ farm squad. In 49 AHL contests this season Toninato has scored 19 goals and 33 points, and he’s helped the Moose land comfortably as the third seed in the AHL’s Central Division.

At the NHL level, Toninato registered one assist in the four-game run he had in November, although he played under seven minutes of ice time in three of the four games he drew into. Last season, Toninato spent almost the entire season at the NHL level and ended up playing in 77 games, registering 14 points.

He did average about a minute and a half of short-handed ice-time per game, but seeing as the Jets had the fourth-worst penalty kill last season it’s understandable that Winnipeg’s new coaching staff under Rick Bowness didn’t see Toninato occupying the same role this season.

Toninato’s stay on the Jets’ active roster could extend into the team’s first-round playoff series, assuming the organization prefers keeping him around as a reserve player for their NHL squad rather than having him return to the Moose to play in their AHL playoffs.

For what it’s worth, the Moose added two forwards to their roster today (Thomas Caron via recall from the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions and Carson Golden via an ATO from the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets) though those additions should not be seen as any sort of barrier to Toninato being sent back down for the AHL playoffs.

Assuming Toninato draws into the lineup tonight against the Avalanche, his game and any minutes he plays in the playoffs represent an important opportunity for his playing future. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in a few months after the expiry of his league-minimum two-way deal, and any quality games he has from this point forward will help him earn his next NHL contract.

Evgeny Svechnikov, Dominic Toninato Clear Waivers

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Dec 7: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Dec 6: Two more forwards have hit waivers today, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Evgeny Svechnikov of the San Jose Sharks and Dominic Toninato of the Winnipeg Jets are available for claim.

The former’s placement is especially curious, given the Sharks just placed Matt Nieto on injured reserve today, recalling C.J. Suess to take his place. Svechnikov played a season-high 16:26 in the team’s most recent game, and has six points in 20 appearances this year. The older brother of Carolina Hurricanes star Andrei Svechnikov, the 26-year-old finally saw regular NHL action last season, playing in 72 games with the Winnipeg Jets and scoring 19 points.

Toninato, meanwhile, cleared waivers in October, but has spent enough time on the active roster to need it again if the Jets want to assign him to the minor leagues. The 28-year-old has played in just four games, registering a single point. Like Svechnikov, he too was a regular in the Winnipeg lineup last season, scoring 14 points in 77 games.

Both players come with cap hits of the league minimum $750K.

Nikolaj Ehlers Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Winnipeg Jets have moved Nikolaj Ehlers to injured reserve, retroactive to October 18. The retroactive placement suggests that he won’t be out very long, but will miss at least the team’s next two games. With the roster spot, the team recalled Dominic Toninato, who cleared waivers recently and was playing in the AHL.

Ehlers, 26, played a full allotment of minutes in each of the team’s first two games of the season, registering three points along the way. He missed Wednesday’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche after leaving the morning skate early, and then didn’t play last night in the loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Amazingly, despite missing two games he still is in a tie for first among Jets forwards in scoring, showing just how important he is to the offensive performance of the team.

Toninato, meanwhile, broke camp with the team but was sent down after they claimed Axel Jonsson Fjallby on waivers. The 28-year-old forward played in 77 games with the team last season and scored 14 points, the best performance of his career so far.

It is not clear yet how long Ehlers will be out but the Jets sure could use him. Key forwards like Blake Wheeler, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton still haven’t scored, leaving the Winnipeg depth lacking at the moment. Neal Pionk leads the team in scoring with four points in four games, not exactly ideal for a group that has been so reliant on their forward group over the years.

Dominic Toninato Clears Waivers

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Oct 14: Toninato has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 13: The Winnipeg Jets are sending another player to the minor leagues ahead of opening night, placing Dominic Toninato on waivers for the purpose of reassignment. Toninato appeared to have won a job on the roster for the start of the year but that has apparently changed over the last few days.

The reason might be a combination of two things. Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet tweets that Mason Appleton could be activated ahead of tomorrow night’s game, while team reporter Mitchell Clinton adds that Axel Jonsson-Fjallby will be practicing with the group today. Jonsson-Fjallby was claimed off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Monday and was designated as a non-roster player this week.

With those two joining the group, there needed to be someone sent down, and Toninato is the odd man out. The 28-year-old forward played in 77 games for the Jets last season, scoring seven goals and 14 points. That was by far the most games of his career, having reached a previous high of 46 in 20219-20 with the Florida Panthers.

The bottom-six forward doesn’t offer much scoring upside, and will likely have no issue clearing waivers. Of course, that would have been even more likely before the games started and teams began suffering injuries. If cleared, he will be stashed in the minor leagues with the Manitoba Moose but could be the Jets first call-up, depending on how the season goes.

39 Players Clear Waivers

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Oct 11: Barre-Boulet, Brooks, Brown, and Jonsson-Fjallby were all claimed, but the other 39 players cleared and can be assigned to the minor leagues.

Oct 10: On the final day to waive players before opening-night rosters are due, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports these 43 players have been placed on waivers:

F Sam Carrick (ANA)
D Jacob Larsson (ANA)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (BUF)
D Eric Gelinas (CAR)
D Maxime Lajoie (CAR)
F Josh Leivo (CAR)
F Stefan Noesen (CAR)
F C.J. Smith (CAR)
D Gabriel Carlsson (CBJ)
D Mikko Lehtonen (CBJ)
F Kevin Stenlund (CBJ)
G Collin Delia (CHI)
G Malcolm Subban (CHI)
D Jacob MacDonald (COL)
D Alexander Petrovic (DAL)
F Riley Barber (DET)
F Taro Hirose (DET)
D William Lagesson (EDM)
F Kyle Turris (EDM)
D Lucas Carlsson (FLA)
G Christopher Gibson (FLA)
D Austin Strand (LAK)
F Austin Wagner (LAK)
F Frederik Gauthier (NJD)
G Connor Ingram (NSH)
F Michael McCarron (NSH)
F Andrew Agozzino (OTT)
D Nick Seeler (PHI)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (TBL)
D Fredrik Claesson (TBL)
D Andrej Sustr (TBL)
F Adam Brooks (TOR)
F Justin Bailey (VAN)
D Madison Bowey (VAN)
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (VAN)
D Travis Hamonic (VAN)
F Sven Baertschi (VGK)
F Patrick Brown (VGK)
F Gage Quinney (VGK)
G Zachary Fucale (WSH)
F Garrett Pilon (WSH)
D Nelson Nogier (WPG)
F Dominic Toninato (WPG)

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Winnipeg Jets Need To Make Changes To Be Cap-Compliant

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The Winnipeg Jets are a team looking to improve after a couple of subpar regular seasons. Most of their shortcomings have been due to the team’s defense after unexpectedly losing Dustin Byfuglien after the 2018-19 season. Winnipeg made a flurry of moves to address that issue this offseason, acquiring Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon to replace Derek Forbort and Tucker Poolman, both of those replacements being undeniable upgrades. While the team looks poised to have more success than in the past few seasons.

They brought Paul Stastny back into the fold on a one-year, $3.75MM deal to help continue to solidify their top-six forward group. But one long-time important piece won’t be returning to Winnipeg this season — Bryan Little. Little suffered a concussion and ruptured eardrum after playing just seven games in 2019-20, and it’s unlikely that the longtime Thrashers/Jets forward suits up ever again. Instead, his $5.3MM cap hit will go on long-term injured reserve for yet another season.

Still, that maximum of $5.3MM as a cap cushion isn’t enough for Winnipeg right now, as they currently sit at $5.8MM over the cap with a full roster. While Winnipeg could send just one forward down to become cap-compliant, it leaves them with very little wiggle room throughout the season in case of injury and hinders their flexibility at the trade deadline.

The most likely short-term solution is to send forward David Gustafsson to Manitoba. He’s one of only two players who aren’t waiver-eligible on the Winnipeg active roster. But after scoring 19 points in 22 AHL games last year, he’ll likely push for an NHL role throughout the season. They also could opt to send defender Sami Niku down to the minors, as his tenure with the club hasn’t gone very smoothly, but risk losing him on waivers to a team willing to take a chance on his development. They’ve tried to deal Niku in the past with no takers, as teams likely anticipate that he’ll be available for them to select on the waiver wire at some point in the future.

There are other names, such as Dominic Toninato and Jansen Harkins, that could see some time in the AHL as a short-term solution to Winnipeg’s salary cap situation. The reality stands that Winnipeg likely needs to make an additional move to create some cap flexibility for a team that needs it to be a contender this year.

All cap figures courtesy of CapFriendly.

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