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Jhonas Enroth

Evening Snapshots: Spooner, Gibson, Enroth

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Boston Bruins announced that forward Ryan Spooner will not play tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks. Spooner suffered a concussion last Monday in a tilt with the Ottawa Senators. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy stated that Spooner is progressing well through the concussion protocol. Spooner has 11G and 23A in 65 games for the Bruins, and the Bruins hope to get his offense back as soon as possible. The team holds down the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division by only two points, and a bad stretch could have the Bruins on the outside looking in.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced that goaltender John Gibson will not play tonight against the Washington Capitals. Gibson is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Gibson missed time with a lower body injury before returning on Friday against the St. Louis Blues, but heappears to have aggravated something and will take more time off. So far this season Gibson has earned a  .921 SV% and a 2.28 GAA in 49 games. Expect back up goaltender Jonathan Bernier to make the start tonight.
  • To deal with Gibson’s injury, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Jhonas Enroth from the San Diego Gulls, the team announced this evening. Enroth was sent down on March 10th to make room for Gibson, but Gibson’s injury necessitated that Enroth return and back up goaltender Jonathan Bernier. With only 13 games remaining after tonight’s match, the Ducks are comfortably in a playoff spot, but are on the brink of becoming a wild card team and playing a much tougher opponent.

Minor Transactions: 3/11/17

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Here is a rundown of today’s minor roster moves:

  • The Canucks announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled left winger Joseph Labate from Utica of the AHL and it’s expected that he will suit up later tonight against Pittsburgh. Labate made his NHL debut earlier this season and has been held off the scoresheet through five games.  He has also suited up in 29 games with the Comets in the minors, collecting 13 points (4-9-13) along with 63 penalty minutes.
  • With goalie John Gibson being activated off injured reserve, the Ducks announced they have assigned Jhonas Enroth to AHL San Diego. Enroth didn’t get into a game with Anaheim during his recall despite putting up some stellar numbers in the minors.  In a dozen games with the Gulls, Enroth is 10-2 with a 1.42 GAA and a .944 SV%.
  • The Predators have recalled winger Miikka Salomaki from his injury conditioning assignment in Milwaukee, via the AHL’s transactions page. He isn’t in the lineup for today’s game against the Sharks, however.  Salomaki has been out of the lineup since mid-October with a lower body injury and has played in just two games with Nashville this season.  He played in four games with the Admirals during his conditioning stint, collecting a goal along with four penalty minutes.
  • It appears New Jersey goaltender Keith Kinkaid is feeling well enough to dress tonight against the Coyotes. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned Ken Appleby to Albany of the AHL while recalling left winger Blake Pietila on an emergency basis.  The 24 year old forward has spent most of the season in the minors where he has 29 points (15-14-29) through 42 games while going pointless in a pair of NHL contests.  Andrew Gross of Fire and Ice adds (via Twitter) that Pietila will fill in tonight for Devante Smith-Pelly (lower body injury).

Snapshots: Canadiens, Ducks, Flames

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The Montreal Canadiens are cruising, winners of six straight games and leading the Atlantic by six points. They’ll have to continue to play short handed for a while though, as Alexander Radulov, Tomas Plekanec and Brian Flynn are all likely out for tomorrow’s matchup against the Calgary Flames. None of the three practiced this morning due to varying injuries, but the Canadiens are carrying enough players to fill their role should they be held out.

Radulov and Plekanec were both absent yesterday when the team slipped by the Vancouver Canucks in overtime, and Flynn was injured during the first period and did not return. In their absence, Andrew Shaw led the forwards in ice time with over 22 minutes, seven more than his average this season. They’ll likely ask Shaw to step up again tomorrow if all three are out, though perhaps Micheal McCarron will draw back in and take some of that weight.

  • John Gibson has been out since February 20th for the Anaheim Ducks, but Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports that he is with the team on their current road trip. The Ducks will face the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues on back to back nights starting tomorrow, and could definitely use Gibson in one of the games. In his absence Jonathan Bernier has shouldered the load admirably, but saw a slip last night against Nashville. Asking him to play back to backs would be extreme, and would likely turn to Jhonas Enroth against the Blues if Gibson isn’t ready.
  • The Calgary Flames have seen a rejuvenated Micheal Ferland since moving him onto a line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau and now they’ll insert him periodically onto the first powerplay unit as well according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. The young winger has continued to compete physically all over the ice and has five goals in his last seven games. Trailing only Troy Brouwer in hits on the club despite playing more than five minutes less a game than him, Ferland can create space for skilled players just by being on the ice with them.
  • Jannik Hansen finally showed up in San Jose after dealing with visa issues since his trade from the Vancouver Canucks. He was immediately rewarded with time on the first line according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. It looks like he’ll skate alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski for his first game tomorrow night. With Kevin Labanc sent down, an opening was created beside the Sharks top duo and Hansen will get a crack at it to begin his San Jose career.

Minor Transactions: 02/23/17

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There are six games on tap in the National Hockey League tonight, including a big matchup between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens that both teams need desperately to keep pace with the rest of the surging conference. There will be quite a few roster moves as teams get closer to the trade deadline, and we’ll have them all right here for you. Keep checking back as it will be updated throughout the day.

Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks

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With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we continue to take a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

After four years of taking the division crown with Bruce Boudreau behind the bench, the Anaheim Ducks have a familiar face in Randy Carlyle taking them to the promised land this season. The team is firmly in a playoff spot, though could easily finish third in the division behind San Jose and Edmonton, and will have to take on Hart candidates Connor McDavid or Brent Burns in the first round.

It will be tough sledding down the stretch for the Ducks, who recently lost Antoine Vermette for 10 games (unless reduced by the appeal). They appear to be buyers at the deadline, though with the amount of highly sought after assets in their system, it may not be draft picks that they’re using as currency.

Record

31-19-10, 3rd in Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.86MM – full-season cap hit due to LTIR space, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Draft Picks

2017: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th
2018: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th

Trade Chips

The Anaheim Ducks have an oft-mentioned group of defensemen that almost the whole league is interested in. While Hampus Lindholm seems untouchable, the other six—Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Josh Manson, Brandon Montour, Shea Theodore and Jacob Larsson—have all been rumored to be available at (vastly) different prices. The Ducks will face an expansion draft problem if they don’t move a defenseman (or two), but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen at the deadline. Josh Manson

If they choose to move any of them, they could potentially make the biggest splash on March 1st. Young defense is one of the most sought after commodities in the NHL, and with both rebuilding and contending teams looking for help on the back-end they would have no shortage of suitors.

Other than their blueline depth, the team does have some excellent prospects that they could use in the pursuit of a big fish (if one surfaces). Sam Steel and Max Jones were both picked in the late stages of the first round last summer, and though they’re having very different seasons—Steel is dominating once again with 103 points in 51 games, while Jones has battled injury and suspension, only playing in 29 games thus far—they both still hold excellent value.

There is also the case of Jonathan Bernier, who the Ducks would love to move now that they have Jhonas Enroth playing so well in San Diego. Bernier comes with a hefty cap hit, and moving him would help them make any additional moves. Since he is an unrestricted free agent this summer, perhaps a rebuilding team would be willing to take him on for the rest of the season in a salary-heavy swap.

Five Players To Watch: D Josh Manson, D Cam Fowler, G Jonathan Bernier, LW Ryan Garbutt, D Shea Theodore

Team Needs

1) Top Six Winger – The Ducks are committed long-term to their big three up front of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler, and Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg have fit in well on the wings this season. But as they head into the playoffs, they could use another legitimate scoring winger to help take the load off those five players. Nick Ritchie and Andrew Cogliano are fine players, but would look better slotted in a little lower in the lineup.

2) Depth Center – Anaheim is going to feel the loss of Vermette most in the faceoff circle, where he has won more than 60% of his almost 1000 draws this season. He is a huge part of their defensive zone coverage, getting the majority of the draws in his own end and on the penalty kill. They’ve moved Rakell back to his natural center ice position for the time being, but that has only created another problem in the top six. Depth centers don’t cost a ton, but Anaheim would be smart to go out and get one that could move up to the third line in the case of an injury in the playoffs—and no, Nate Thompson isn’t that guy.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

West Notes: Shattenkirk, Enroth, Avalanche, Michalek

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While it has been speculated that St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk would only be open to playing with an American team, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports (video link) that a pair of Canadian squads are on a list of 12 that he would be interested in playing for beyond this season.  Those two teams are the Canadiens and Maple Leafs.

Although the Blues are playing themselves back into the postseason hunt, many expect them to deal the pending UFA to ensure they get something in return instead of losing him for nothing in free agency.  While he doesn’t have any no-trade protection and could be dealt anywhere (including the Oilers who had permission to speak to him last summer but couldn’t reach an agreement on an extension), it’s more likely that St. Louis will look to move him to a team that is on that list of 12, hoping the acquiring team may pay a bit more with the thought they’d have a shot at signing him long-term.

Other notes from the West:

  • With the performance of goalie Jhonas Enroth with AHL San Diego, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register wonders if his play could make Anaheim netminder Jonathan Bernier expendable. Enroth has a stellar 1.20 GAA and a .954 SV% since being acquired from Toronto and carries a cap hit of just $750K.  Meanwhile, Bernier carries a $4.15MM cap hit (though they’re only responsible for $2.15MM as the Leafs paid his $2MM signing bonus back in July) and the Ducks find themselves using LTIR for Simon Despres to remain in cap compliance.  If Anaheim needs to free up some cap space to make a move, moving Bernier and calling up Enroth is certainly an option for them.
  • A large reason for Colorado’s current struggles is due to their continued struggles to draft quality defensemen, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. Over the past decade, the Avs have drafted several blueliners in the top two rounds but have really only hit on one.  (That player happens to be Shattenkirk, who they dealt to the Blues back in 2011.)  Now, they’re faced with the prospect of having to deal a top forward such as Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog to fill an organizational void that hasn’t really been addressed under multiple management groups.
  • Coyotes defenseman Zbynek Michalek has yet to decide if this is his final season, writes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. The 34 year old is in the final year of a two year contract that carries a cap hit and salary of $3.2MM.  However, he was waived early in the year and cleared, in part due to his expensive contract.  He’s suited up in 28 games at the minor league level this season and acknowledged he may be in tough to get a guaranteed NHL deal next year.  There isn’t a great chance he’ll get moved at the deadline either unless the team is willing to retain a big chunk of his deal (they can hold back up to 50%) or take a similarly bad deal back in return.

Maple Leafs Trade Jhonas Enroth To Anaheim

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The rebuild of the Toronto Maple Leafs never sleeps, not even on the team’s bye-week.

Just after midnight, the Maple Leafs traded Jhonas Enroth to the Anaheim Ducks for a 7th-round pick in 2018. Unlike the Jonathan Bernier trade, there is no conditional nature to the pick, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The deal comes just hours after the Maple Leafs claimed Curtis McElhinney on waivers.

McElhinney is considered a big upgrade over Enroth, at least by this season’s numbers. In seven games this season, McElhinney has a 0.924 save percentage, much better than Enroth’s 0.872 SV% in six appearances. However, six or seven games is not much to judge a goaltender by, as Enroth’s career SV% is slightly higher (0.909 vs 0.905). Enroth failed to gain the confidence of head coach Mike Babcock, and that’s not a good sign for any player on the rebuilding Leafs.

The trade is relatively small but a win-win overall. The Maple Leafs are able to move on from Enroth and move a contract from their 50-man list, while Enroth will give the Ducks some insurance as both of their AHL goaltenders, Dustin Tokarski and Matt Hackett, are currently battling injuries. Enroth and his $750K contract will report to the San Diego Gulls.

Back in Toronto, their minor-league goaltenders will get a chance to develop further. Antoine Bibeau has been solid in his two NHL starts with a 0.927 SV% and a GAA below two, but he’s better served by playing games in the AHL instead of sitting on the bench. Garret Sparks has yet to be given a chance at the NHL level this season.

The Leafs had previously explored the possibility of signing Karri Ramo, but he suffered a setback in his recovery and was forced to undergo another surgery last month. He’s expected to be ready to go in February, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

Minor Transactions: 1/8/2016 (Updated)

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With some teams preparing for their mandatory mid-season break, GM’s are trimming their rosters, reassigning waivers-exempt players to the minors to ensure they can continue to play during the off time. Additionally, teams bank additional cap space during the hiatus by moving players off of the big league roster. We’ll monitor all of today’s roster transactions in this post and update throughout the day.

  • (Update) 5:30pm: With T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson both dealing with injuries and unable to practice today, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Paul Carey from Hershey of the AHL, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Both Oshie (upper-body injury) and Wilson (lower-body injury were hurt in the team’s 1 – 0 win over Ottawa last night. Carey has already seen action in three games with Washington but has not registered a point. He currently ranks third in scoring for Hersey with 25 points.
  • The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Petter Granberg on waivers, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. The 24-year-old Swedish blue liner has appeared in nine games this season for the Predators but has not recorded a point and has averaged just under nine minutes a game. Granberg was originally acquired by Nashville from Toronto via waivers in November of 2015. After failing to make the team in training camp he was waived on the last day of September and after clearing the team assigned him to Milwaukee. Nashville recalled Granberg from the AHL on November 26th. It’ likely he will again clear waivers and remain in the Predators organization.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to do the backup goalie shuffle, again sending Antoine Bibeau to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and recalling Jhonas Enroth, reports James Mirtle of The Athletic. Bibeau has appeared in just two games, winning one and losing one, while putting up excellent overall numbers – 1.98 GAA and 0.927 Save %. Enroth has posted a record of 0-3-1 in four starts, with a GAA of nearly four. It’s likely the move was made so that Bibeau can stay sharp playing in the minors and he will again be recalled from the Marlies when the Leafs return to action Friday.
  • The Arizona Coyotes assigned Laurent Dauphin, Brendan Perlini and Anthony DeAngelo to Tucson of the AHL, the team announced via their Twitter account. Dauphin has tallied three points in 21 games for Arizona and is averaging 11 minutes per game filling in on the team’s bottom line. Perlini, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in 15 games, scoring four goals and five points. DeAngelo, acquired via trade from Tampa Bay this past summer, has tallied three goals and nine points in 20 games in his first taste of NHL action. Again, it’s likely the assignments were made to ensure the trio continue to play during the break.

Two Players Sent To AHL As Roster Freeze Ends

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With the NHL’s holiday roster freeze over, Washington and Toronto made a pair of minor transactions on Wednesday morning.

The Capitals sent rookie Zachary Sanford back to Hershey of the AHL, the Bears announced this morning. Sanford has played for both the Bears and Capitals this season, with one assist in 20 NHL games and four goals and seven points in just six AHL games. The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan isn’t surprised by the move, considering Sanford had been a healthy scratch for three of the past four games after being recalled on December 17.

Meanwhile the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltending carousel continues, as the team demoted backup goaltender Jhonas Enroth to the AHL. The move has not been announced by the team as of this being written, but the move is already up on the AHL’s official transaction page and Enroth is listed on the Marlies roster. This comes one day after the Leafs recalled a trio of players, including goaltender Antoine Bibeau. Enroth was expected to be a solid backup for new starter Frederik Andersen, but has struggled mightily with no victories in six appearances and a 0.872 SV%. Because he makes under $950K, ($750K), he will not count against the Maple Leafs’ salary cap.

Enroth joins Karri Ramo, Garret Sparks, and Jeff Glass as goaltenders on the Marlies’ roster. Enroth and Sparks are under contract with the NHL club, Ramo is with the team on a tryout basis, and Glass is on an AHL-only deal after spending the past seven years in the KHL.

Roster Moves: Auvitu, O’Connor, Dickinson

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With the Holiday Roster Freeze still in effect for one more day, teams are headed back to the ice today after a (hopefully) restful Christmas. Six games are on the schedule for tonight, and teams are making minor moves to prepare their teams for the unofficial second half.

  • In New Jersey, they’ve recalled Yohann Auvitu ahead of their matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. Auvitu has played 23 games with the Devils this season filling in for various members of their blue line. The 27-year old French-born Auvitu is a rookie in North America this year despite playing in the Finnish leagues for many seasons.  He has registered four points across his NHL time.
  • The continuing Ottawa goaltending saga has another chapter today, as Matt O’Connor has been recalled once again to backup Mike Condon tonight. The Sens face the New York Rangers tonight, and Craig Anderson will not be with the team. With Andrew Hammond still on the shelf for a while, O’Connor will head to the arena to suit up again after playing last night in the AHL.
  • Antoine Roussel hasn’t played since the 20th and will be out for a bit still. The forward was placed on IR today retroactive to his last game. Dallas has recalled Jason Dickinson in his absence, his second appearance in the NHL this season. Dickinson has 14 points in 19 games at the AHL level, and is starting to show the promise that made him a first round pick (29th overall) in 2013.
  • The Maple Leafs have recalled goaltender Antoine Bibeau today with the club scheduled for a back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Leafs have played musical chairs with the backup goaltender of late, trying to get Bibeau as much ice time as possible while still having him with the NHL club if needed. Jhonas Enroth, signed in the offseason to be the primary backup to Frederik Andersen, has not performed well enough for the team to trust him any further.
  • The Maple Leafs have also recalled both Byron Froese and Frederik Gauthier. The duo was with the team before the holiday break but was given the chance to play in the Marlies’ first game back yesterday. With Tyler Bozak still out and Ben Smith on IR, the team will use the two young centers for the immediate future.

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