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Buffalo Sabres Recall Brendan Guhle, Place Lawrence Pilut On IR

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The Buffalo Sabres lost a promising defenseman Sunday when they placed Lawrence Pilut on injured reserve, but didn’t have to look far for another defensive talent as the team announced it has recalled defenseman Brendan Guhle from the Rochester Americans of the AHL.

Guhle has been long considered to be a top defensive prospect for the team and finished the season on the Sabres’ blueline last season, playing 18 games and tallying five assists. The 2015 second-round pick has been playing well while waiting another chance in Rochester. He has put up three goals and 13 points in 25 games and is just another talented defensive talent in their loaded cupboard of prospects. How long he stays is unknown as the team has several players on injured reserve now. Including Pilut, the team also is without Jake McCabe and Casey Nelson. McCabe went onto IR on Nov. 29 with an upper-body injury and has missed seven games, while Nelson has missed four games after being put on IR with an upper-body injury on Dec. 8.

Pilut has been incredibly impressive since his initial recall from Rochester on Nov. 27. His play had the general belief that he would remain with the team for the rest of the year. However, Pilut went down with a lower-body injury earlier in the week and was listed as day-to-day after missing Saturday’s game against Washington. The 22-year-old was signed this summer as an undrafted free agent after a breakout year in the SHL in which he eight goals and 38 points in 52 games there. While he didn’t make the Sabres’ opening day roster, he has dominated in Rochester, posting three goals and 22 points in 16 games and currently has two assists in six NHL games.

Minor Transactions: 12/07/18

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It’s a quiet Friday night in the NHL with just four games on the schedule, but many eyes will be watching the Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks after yesterday’s TSN reporting. Both teams are apparently looking for upgrades, and will get a first hand look at some potential options when they meet in California. As for the rest of the league, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • After serving as insurance last night for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Gabriel Carlsson is on his way back to the minor leagues. The 21-year old has played just one game with the NHL club this season, but is a useful waiver-exempt option for them to help out whenever they have a need. Carlsson will eventually need some extended playing time with the Blue Jackets, but it doesn’t appear that is imminent.
  • Matt Tennyson and Scott Wedgewood have been recalled by the Buffalo Sabres, despite the team announcing that Carter Hutton’s absence from practice yesterday was just maintenance. It’s unclear what this means for the Sabres game tomorrow night, but the team at least feels that it needs some insurance in net. Tennyson has been used in this way already this season, and now that Jake McCabe and Casey Nelson are out week-to-week he may stay with the club for a while.
  • Jean-Sebastien Dea is in the NHL once again, taking the place of Dominik Simon on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster. Simon has been moved to injured reserve, while Dea returns to the team that he made his NHL debut for. After taking a quick trip to New Jersey through waivers and playing 20 games for the Devils, Dea was reclaimed by the Penguins in late November. He’s registered two points in two games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins since rejoining the organization.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have activated Dustin Byfuglien and Dmitry Kulikov from injured reserve, while designating Andrew Copp there instead. The team will welcome two defenders back as they try to continue their pursuit of the Nashville Predators in the Central Division.
  • Phil Varone has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, perhaps to give the team an offensive boost after dropping last night’s game against Columbus. Varone is the reigning AHL MVP after recording 70 points last season, and is off to an even better pace this year. The 28-year old has played just 50 NHL games in his career.
  • Austin Wagner is heading to the Ontario Reign of the AHL for the time being, assigned by the Los Angeles Kings today. Wagner played 18 games with the Kings this year, but now that Nikita Scherbak has been cleared to return to action he’s no longer needed.
  • Riley Barber has been recalled by the Washington Capitals, giving them another option at forward for their game tomorrow evening. T.J. Oshie, who is still dealing with a concussion has been moved to injured reserve to make room. The Capitals are certainly not at full strength while Oshie and Tom Wilson remain out with head injuries, but it is to the benefit of Barber who will try to impress the coaching staff during the short stint. The 24-year old forward has just three NHL games under his belt but is working on a great start to the season in the AHL.
  • Nick Paul is on his way up to the Ottawa Senators once again, already his seventh transaction of the season. The 23-year old forward is the definition of an insurance plan for the Senators so far this year, getting into six games but playing the majority of his season in the minor leagues. The 6’3″ forward has 11 points in 15 games in the AHL, but is still looking for his first goal in the NHL this year.

East Notes: Morin, Shaw, Sabres

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Though all of the turmoil that gone on in Philadelphia this season, injuries may be the least appreciated. One of those injuries that has had an effect on the team this year has been that of Samuel Morin, who underwent knee surgery in May and hasn’t been on the ice since. Today that all changed, as according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Morin got back on the ice with teammates today for the first time.

Morin, 23, was the 11th-overall pick in 2013 but has played just three NHL games so far in his career and saw his 2017-18 season decimated by injury. If he can get back this season—the team expects some time in February—there’s a good chance he would be an immediate upgrade on their blue line and could offer a stylistic counterpoint to some of the team’s more offensive options.

Jake McCabe To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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The Buffalo Sabres will be without Jake McCabe for the rest of the 2017-18 season, as he’ll undergo shoulder surgery that will keep him out for four to six months. According to GM Jason Botterill, McCabe had been dealing with the problem for a while:

Jake has been progressing well in his recovery from his previous injury, but we decided that this was a good opportunity to take care of a problem that he has been dealing with for a while. Jake will have time to fully recover before the beginning of the 2018-19 season.

Even though the Sabres are struggling through another disappointing season, McCabe is one of the hopefuls to be part of a turnaround. Just 24, the defenseman has shown potential to become a solid player in his own end and a top-4 defenseman in the NHL. Though he’s clearly not done developing, there is reason to think he can be a solid piece going forward.

McCabe has one more season on his current deal that carries a $1.6MM cap hit, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent. Starting July 1st, the team could consider an extension to buy out some of his UFA years, or wait to see what he can do coming off this latest injury. Four months gives him plenty of time to get ready for training camp, while six is starting to cut it pretty close. Regardless, unless he faces a setback in his rehab he’ll be ready to go on opening day.

Injury Notes: Hutchinson, McCabe, Kuhnhackl

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Even though Connor Hellebuyck has been a revelation this season for the Winnipeg Jets, the goaltending position as a whole has been anything but solid. Steve Mason, brought in to battle for the starting job has suffered multiple concussions, and now his replacement Michael Hutchinson is in the same boat.

Hutchinson suffered the concussion in the pre-game skate on Tuesday according to Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun, and will be out indefinitely while Eric Comrie comes up to fill the role. Hutchinson is one of the more interesting goaltenders to watch over the next few months, as he heads towards unrestricted free agency.

  • In Buffalo, the Sabres’ season hasn’t gone according to plan. Expected to take a step forward with a healthy Jack Eichel and improved defense, the team is once again at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference. Now, Jake McCabe will be out for at least three weeks after undergoing surgery on his thumb. While there isn’t a ton left to play for this season in Buffalo, new head coach Phil Housley will use it to try and create some building blocks for the club going forward. With McCabe only signed for one more season after 2017-18, his role is far from certain.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have surged up to second in the Metropolitan Division, but will have to play without one of their most physical forwards for a while. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports that Tom Kuhnhackl is out for multiple weeks after suffering an injury early in the game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Kuhnhackl is also a key penalty killer on the Penguins, a role that will have to be filled by someone else for the time being.

Snapshots: Emelin, Guhle, Schwartz

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The Nashville Predators locked up the back half of their defense corps today, inking Matt Irwin, Yannick Weber and Anthony Bitetto to minimum-salary deals. The question now will be about Alexei Emelin, and where he fits into the picture. Emelin is an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the two sides plan on meeting after the season to “discuss things.”

Emelin has been a fine addition to the Predators this season, able to fill in admirably while Ryan Ellis was out for the first half of the season with an injury. Now that he’s back, Emelin’s role is expected to decline though he still provides excellent depth for a potential playoff run. He also could be used closer to the deadline as a trade chip for the Predators, since part of his salary is already being covered by the Vegas Golden Knights.

  • Brendan Guhle will make his season debut for the Buffalo Sabres tonight, though a move will need to happen to reduce their roster size before that happens. Guhle is expected to skate alongisde Jake McCabe, in a long awaited return after spending three games with the NHL club during last season. Guhle is an impressive defenseman, capable of taking pucks away in his own end and moving them quickly into offensive chances, and should improve a Sabres defensive unit that has struggled mightily this season. The group of Victor Antipin, Nathan Beaulieu, Josh Gorges, Justin Falk and Zach Bogosian have just 11 points combined, despite totaling 111 games played.
  • Jaden Schwartz was having the best season of his career when he went down to injury last month, scoring 35 points in 30 games. The St. Louis Blues’ offense hasn’t been the same without him, but they could get a boost before long. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that Schwartz is out of his walking boot and still on target for a re-evaluation on January 20th, which isn’t as far away for the club as it might seem. After tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers, the Blues have their CBA-mandated bye week and won’t get back into game action until January 16th.

Snapshots: Lecavalier, Miller, Rodrigues

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will retire the second number in their franchise history this season, when they raise Vincent Lecavalier’s #4 to the rafters on February 10th. Lecavalier, who last played in 2015-16, is the franchise leader in goals and was once the NHL’s youngest ever captain (since broken by multiple players) when he was given the “C” at just 19.

In 1,037 games with the Lightning, the 1998 first-overall pick scored 874 points and led them to a Stanley Cup in 2004. Twice he was nominated for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, including 2006-07 when he led the league in goals with 52. A prototypical number-one center, Lecavalier played an exceptional all around game that combined speed, power and skill. He finished his career with 949 points in 1,212 games.

  • Despite spending time in the middle during the preseason, J.T. Miller will be back in his familiar wing position when the season starts, Alain Vigneault confirmed today to a group of reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Vigneault has been impressed with the play of 2017 first-round draft picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, as well as former University of Michigan standout Boo Nieves. While it has been expected for a while that just one of the young players would make the roster with David Desharnais taking the other center role, there is a growing suspicion that both Andersson and Chytil could start the year with the Rangers. That would be quite the turnaround for a team that hadn’t even drafted in the first round for several years.
  • Buffalo Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues was injured this weekend in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs when Andreas Borgman crumpled him into the boards, and will be held out for the time being with a hand injury. Head coach Phil Housley was non-committal when asked if it would linger into the regular season, similar to the way he spoke about Jake McCabe’s upper-body injury. Both players were expected to be in the lineup for opening night, which now could open spots for some others to start the year in Buffalo instead of Rochester.

Sabres Extend Justin Falk

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The Buffalo Sabres announced this morning that they have signed defenseman Justin Falk to a one-year extension. Falk had been set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, after signing a one-year, one-way deal with Buffalo on July 1st last year. The extension is identical to Falk’s current contract, carrying a $650K cap hit for next season and no additional bonuses or clauses.

Falk has had a much greater role in Buffalo this season than many expected. Heading into the 2016-17 season, the Sabres had a solid six-man defensive lineup featuring the newly-acquired Dmitry Kulikov alongside Zach Bogosian, Rasmus Ristolainen, Josh Gorges, Cody Franson, and Jake McCabe. Additionally, highly-touted college free agent Casey Nelson was expected to be the next man up. Arguably one of the deepest defensive units in the NHL did not hold up for very long. Injuries set in early in the season, resulting in Kulikov, Bogosian, and Gorges missing a combined 63 man-games (so far). Ristolainen is the only Sabres defenseman to have played in all 51 of the team’s games to date, while Franson and McCabe have been missed very few contests, but Buffalo has faced difficulties making up for the damage to their blue line. Nelson struggled when called upon, and stepping in to take a somewhat permanent spot on the team’s bottom pair was Falk. The 28-year-old, who has bounced back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL for seven years, was added this off-season for veteran depth in the minors, but has surprised with his pro-caliber confidence. Just 12 games away from matching his career high, Falk has played in 35 contests this season and has saved the Sabres with his ability to fit in well as the stay-at-home defenseman of the group. Although he has just four assists and averages just 13:11 in ice time, Falk has been defensively sound and is playing perhaps the most physical, shut-down style of his career. In appreciation of his efforts, Buffalo has rewarded the blue liner with a new contract.

Like nearly all in-season extensions this year, the deal also carries some Expansion Draft significance. Teams have been very wary of the their player eligibility for the upcoming draft this June, and the Sabres are no different. Buffalo had four players that met the exposure requirement of one defenseman with term remaining on his contract that has played 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons: Bogosian, Ristolainen, McCabe, and Gorges. The Sabres will protect three of those players and leave one available to the Vegas Golden Knights. The youngters Ristolainen and McCabe will surely be protected and, unless he is traded, so will Bogosian. However, the extension for Falk gives the team even more flexibility approaching the Trade Deadline. Assuming Falk plays in five more games this season, his extension now adds him to the list of exposure qualifiers. The Sabres have been playing better of late, but a playoff berth still seems like a long shot. If they decide to make a big move and trade Bogosian, or better yet, can find a take for Gorges final year, they no longer have to hesitate on pulling the trigger. Falk is a harmless selection for exposure; both highly unlikely to be picked and not much of a loss if he is.

Sabres Notes: Gorges, McCabe, Playoff Push

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After weeks of nursing his injured hip for the past dozen games, Josh Gorges returned to the Buffalo Sabres last night in triumphant fashion reports Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat. The team beat the Ottawa Senators in all facets and took them down 4-0 in an impressive win. The 32-year old defenseman played just over 16 minutes, but chipped in an assist and was a +2 rating. While his possession numbers are still terrible this season, Gorges adds some grit to a blueline that has sorely missed it this year. With injuries to almost every member at times, the team has had inconsistency and unfamiliarity problems all season.

  • That perhaps is going to go away, now that Gorges and Jake McCabe have returned from their respective injuries. McCabe was sidelined for five games following a shoulder injury and Zach Bogosian, who was injured on Thursday evening against the New York Rangers, is only considered day-to-day. For a team that was expected to take a step forward this season, injuries have come hard and often this year.
  • But it’s the fact that those injuries are starting to heal that has Buffalo fans inspired for the next 30 games. The club has struggled this season to be sure, but with a strong start to 2017 (the team is 8-5-2 in the new year) and a very weak Atlantic Division, there is a chance they could go on a late drive for the playoffs. The team sits at 52 points after their win last night, and though that is tied for last place in the Eastern Conference, they’re only 6 points behind Boston for third place in the division and have played four fewer games. The incredible parity in the Eastern Conference has everyone still believing they’re “in it” at this point in the season, and with Buffalo’s injury excuse, perhaps they really are. When healthy (looking at you Jack Eichel), the team can boast enough goal scoring to keep up with any team, and the duo of Robin Lehner and Anders Nilsson has actually provided excellent goaltending (a team .923 save percentage has them third in the league). A healthy top four that includes Rasmus Ristolainen, Bogosian, McCabe and Dmitry Kulikov isn’t perfect, but may be enough to keep them relevant down the stretch.

Minor Transactions: 1/21/2017

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Here is where we will track the day’s minor roster transactions:

  • The New Jersey Devils have announced that Blake Coleman has been reassigned to Albany of the AHL to make room for Vernon Fiddler, who the team activated off of IR. Coleman has appeared in five games, the first of his career, since being recalled on January 10th and registered a single point. Fiddler, in his 14th NHL campaign, has tallied a goal with two assists in 35 contests on the year.
  • Erik Condra’s wild ride in Tampa Bay continues as the winger has once again been placed on waivers by the team, according to James Mirtle. It’s the second time this season he has been on waivers, the first time clearing before a reassignment to the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa’s affiliate in the AHL. Additionally, Condra has shuttled between Tampa Bay and Syracuse seven times in total this season as the Lightning have used the seven-year veteran extensively as a fill-in for several injured regulars. All told, Condra has appeared in 10 games for Tampa Bay but has failed to register a point while averaging 9:41 of ice time per game. Assuming he again clears, Condra will almost certainly be reassigned to Syracuse once more.
  • With Jake McCabe forced to leave last night’s game against Detroit due to injury, the Buffalo Sabres this morning have recalled defenseman Casey Nelson from Rochester of the AHL, tweets Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. Nelson, 24, is scoreless in eight earlier appearances this season for the Sabres. In 27 games for Rochester, the Wisconsin native has tallied four goals and five assists.
  • The San Jose Sharks brought Tim Heed and Barclay Goodrow back from the AHL ahead of tonight’s game against Colorado, reports Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. Heed has already had three other tours with the big club, making just one appearance on the campaign. The recall also represents the third stint this season with the Sharks for Goodrow. Though he has yet to play for the team this year, it appears that could change tonight. In 74 career NHL contests, Goodrow has scored four goals with 11 assists along with 51 penalty minutes.

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