Coyotes Troy Stecher Out Four-To-Six Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
The Arizona Coyotes have announced that defenseman Troy Stecher is out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. Stecher has appeared in 42 of Arizona’s 44 games this season. He’s recorded five points, 20 penalty minutes, and a +7.
Stecher is in his second stint with the Arizona Coyotes, starting last season with the team but getting traded to the Calgary Flames ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. He re-signed in Arizona on July 1st, inking a one-year, $1.1MM contract. The Coyotes are one of five NHL teams that Stecher has played for, with his career headlined by four seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. Stecher has accumulated 482 career NHL games and 108 career points – an impressive mark for the undrafted defender who didn’t sign his first pro contract until his age-22 season – joining the AHL’s Utica Comets for four games in the 2016-17 season.
The Coyotes’ depth will be tested with Stecher set to miss significant time. The team is already facing injuries to Barrett Hayton, Travis Boyd, and Vladislav Kolyachonok – limiting their ability to ice an ideal lineup. The Yotes will have to turn to Juuso Valimaki, who has operated as the team’s seventh defenseman recently and has six points in 30 appearances this season. This injury likely also means an expanded role for Josh Brown and Michael Kesselring – a duo that’s operated as the team’s bottom pairing in recent outings.
Coyotes Recall Justin Kirkland On Emergency Basis
The Coyotes have made a move to add some more forward depth before their game on Monday against Pittsburgh, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Justin Kirkland from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis.
This is the fourth recall of the last month for the 27-year-old but his playing time over the first three was limited to just two appearances where he averaged just 7:14 per game. Kirkland has done well in limited action with the Roadrunners, however, collecting 16 points in 18 games; he’s nearly up to his AHL point total from last season already in 14 fewer appearances.
Arizona currently has just 12 forwards on its active roster and one of those – Nick Schmaltz – has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury. Head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters today including Remy Mastey of The Hockey News that he doesn’t expect that Schmaltz will be available to play against the Penguins. The Coyotes have dressed seven blueliners since then but with Kirkland’s presence on the roster, they’ll now have the option to go with the typical twelve-forward alignment.
Arizona Coyotes Reassign Justin Kirkland
The Arizona Coyotes have reassigned forward Justin Kirkland to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
The move comes just as forward Jason Zucker‘s suspension is set to expire. Kirkland made his Coyotes debut on January 7th, and played a total of two games on this most recent call-up. He averaged around seven minutes of ice time per game, registering one shot on goal, a shot block, and five hits.
The 27-year-old pivot is a former 25-goal scorer in the AHL who made his NHL debut last season with the Anaheim Ducks. He’s scored 13 points in just 12 games in Tucson so far this season, and now returned there he will likely resume his top-end offensive role with the club.
While he’s back in the AHL for the foreseeable future, it’s not out of question that Kirkland receives another NHL recall. He brings size, versatility, and has shown he can score at the AHL level. Continuing his solid AHL production from the start of this season will be a top priority for him moving forward if he wants to get another shot at a call-up to the NHL roster.
Central Notes: Mrazek, Drouin, Kirkland, Thornton
Even with a handful of teams believed to be looking for goalie help, the market for Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek isn’t likely to be too strong. As a result, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic feels (subscription link) it might be more likely that Chicago winds up extending the netminder over dealing him for what’s likely to be a limited return. The 31-year-old has put up a .903 SV% in 25 games this season, a very respectable number on a team that’s in a battle for the bottom of the standings once again. He currently carries a cap hit of $3.8MM and while it’s unlikely an extension would come in at that amount, keeping him around on a short-term extension to allow Drew Commesso to have a bit more time to develop with AHL Rockford would make some sense, especially if the trade market isn’t likely to yield much in return.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- After a rough start with his new team, Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin has settled in nicely and is in the middle of a strong stretch where he has 17 points in his last 22 games. To that end, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now evaluates the feasibility of trying to sign the 28-year-old to a contract extension. Drouin is playing on a deal worth $825K this season, opting for a short-term agreement in the hopes of establishing a better market next summer. His performance is worth a fair bit more than that but with Colorado’s cap situation, they’ll still be capped at a lower-cost offer. That said, if Drouin wants some stability and to stay in a good situation, he could be amenable to the possibility of re-signing now.
- The shuffling of Justin Kirkland continues. After being sent back down yesterday, the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that the winger has been recalled from AHL Tucson. It’s his third recall in the last two weeks although he has yet to make an appearance yet with Arizona. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old has been productive with the Roadrunners, recording 13 points in 12 games so far.
- Still with Arizona, while not yet announced by the Coyotes, the team has loaned goaltender Anson Thornton back to OHL Barrie, notes Colts color commentator Gene Pereira. The 20-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent with Arizona back in 2021 but has been injured for most of the season, being limited to just four appearances with Tucson where he has a save percentage of just .849. With the CHL trade deadline coming next week, he may find himself on the move at that level in the coming days.
Central Notes: Bedard, Meyers, Kirkland
In what has become an unexpectedly scary night for the Chicago Blackhawks, the team announced that star rookie, Connor Bedard, would not return to tonight’s game due to injury. The play in question took place during the first period, as New Jersey Devils defenseman, Brendan Smith, distributed a heavy hit to Bedard just over the blue line, causing the young phenom to head to the locker room for the rest of the evening.
For the sake of level-headedness, there could be a plethora of reasons for Chicago to keep Bedard out of the game, ranging from simply being cautionary with their top player, or expecting that Bedard could be out for a lengthy amount of time. Ultimately, it is unlikely that an update on Bedard’s status will be given after the game tonight, as most teams tend to wait until the next day to announce any meaningful news.
It is hard to put into words how detrimental Bedard’s absence would be for the Blackhawks, regardless of the amount of time he is out of the lineup. Even with only 11 wins through 38 games, Chicago’s offense completely runs through Bedard, as he has quickly shown that he was worth all of the hype.
To put his value into perspective on the Blackhawks specifically, with 15 goals and 33 points through 38 games, Bedard accounts for 17% of all goals scored, 12% of all assists, and 14% of all points scored for Chicago this season at 18 years old. With the future of the Blackhawks organization comfortably resting on Bedard’s shoulders, Chicago will likely be extremely cautious with Bedard’s health in hopes that he can be in the lineup as much as possible.
Other notes:
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward Ben Meyers from the Colorado Eagles after sending him down yesterday, per a team announcement. It is unknown whether or not he will factor into the team’s lineup tomorrow afternoon against the Florida Panthers, as he has largely been used as an extra forward by the Avalanche this season.
- Unfortunately for Justin Kirkland, it will be his second consecutive emergency call-up without a game played, as the Arizona Coyotes announced they have returned him back to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Luckily, he has appeared comfortable in his first season in the Coyotes organization, as he’s scored one goal and 13 points in 12 games for the Roadrunners so far.
Coyotes Recall Justin Kirkland On Emergency Loan
The Arizona Coyotes have used an emergency recall on centerman Justin Kirkland. Kirkland has spent the season with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, appearing in 12 games and scoring 13 points. This includes 12 assists, a mark that ranks second on the Roadrunners. Arizona operated down a forward in their Thursday loss to the New York Islanders, making them eligible for this emergency recall.
Kirkland’s recall comes in the wake of Jason Zucker‘s suspension, received for a boarding call on Florida’s Nick Cousins. The Coyotes are also facing injuries to both Barrett Hayton and Travis Boyd, a pair that’s managed four points and eight points respectively through 16 games each. Kirkland is unrivaled for the lineup spot left open by these vacancies, setting him up to make his debut with the Coyotes. The 27-year-old centerman’s only experience in the NHL came during a seven-game stint with the Anaheim Ducks last season. He went scoreless through the outings and recorded a -3.
Kirkland was originally drafted in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft, going 16 picks before Vezina-candidate Ilya Sorokin and 17 picks before star forward Brayden Point. Kirkland has since spent much of his career in the AHL, where he’s totaled 407 career games and 183 career points. His stretch in the league began in the 2016-17 season with the Milwaukee Admirals. Kirkland stayed in Milwaukee until 2019-20 when he joined the Calgary Flames’ affiliate Stockton Heat for three seasons. He then joined Anaheim’s organization last season and Arizona’s this year.
Minor Transactions: 12/24/23
With no games on the NHL schedule until Wednesday, many teams snuck last-minute transactions in before the full roster freeze kicked in. We’ve covered a handful of them here throughout the day in Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and St. Louis; here’s a rundown of the remaining moves. All transactions are via the AHL’s transactions log unless otherwise noted.
- The Capitals returned winger Ivan Miroshnichenko and center Hendrix Lapierre to AHL Hershey. Both players were recalled on Tuesday with Miroshnichenko making his NHL debut. He was held off the scoresheet in his three appearances while Lapierre has five points in 14 games with Washington so far.
- The Red Wings re-assigned center Austin Czarnik and defenseman Simon Edvinsson back to AHL Grand Rapids. Czarnik has been shuffled back and forth frequently this month and has one assist in 16 games with Detroit while Edvinsson, who was only brought up Saturday, made his season debut last night.
- The Kings loaned Jacob Moverare back to AHL Ontario after playing just shy of 15 minutes last night versus Calgary. The 25-year-old has been recalled and sent back down ten separate times each since mid-November.
- The Golden Knights have loaned goaltender Isaiah Saville back to AHL Henderson, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). He has been serving as their interim backup with both Adin Hill and Logan Thompson injured. As Thompson remains on the active roster, Saville was eligible to be sent back down. The 23-year-old was activated off SOIR earlier this month and has made three appearances for the Silver Knights.
- The Bruins sent three players back to AHL Providence – defensemen Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon along with center Patrick Brown. Lohrei has five points in 17 games so far in his first full professional campaign while Wotherspoon is logging nearly 16 minutes a night in eight games with Boston. As for Brown, he cleared waivers early in the season and has been brought up four separate times now; he has an assist in nine games at the top level so far.
- Boston also made one other transaction as they converted defenseman Ian Mitchell from an emergency recall to a regular one, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). Mitchell was recalled on Saturday and has two assists in 13 games with Boston so far. The Bruins will now be ineligible to send him down until after the roster freeze lifts.
- The Maple Leafs have returned center Pontus Holmberg to AHL Toronto. It’s the third time he has been sent back down since Wednesday as Toronto has been shuffling him up and down quite frequently. The 24-year-old has an assist in eight games with the big club so far.
- A day after recalling him, the Coyotes have sent center Justin Kirkland back to Tucson of the AHL. The 27-year-old had spent the full year with the Roadrunners prior to yesterday’s move, notching ten points in nine contests.
- Grant Hutton is once again on the move as the Islanders have sent him back to AHL Bridgeport, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). He has been recalled and re-assigned six times apiece in the last month and has been limited to just two appearances with New York so far this season.
Many of these transactions will be undone on the 27th or 28th as NHL teams return to action. In the meantime, these teams will save a bit of salary money and cap space with these demotions. Toronto and Ottawa’s moves could have AHL implications as well as their two affiliates will play on Tuesday so the players they sent down could suit up in that contest.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Justin Kirkland
The Arizona Coyotes have announced that they’ve recalled forward Justin Kirkland from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. The recall was done on an emergency basis last night and could provide the 27-year-old with his first look at NHL action this season after he dressed in seven NHL games last season with the Anaheim Ducks. He was held scoreless during that time.
Kirkland has played nine AHL games so far this season and has a single goal and nine assists. The native of Camrose, Alberta originally signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Coyotes back on July 15th and was waived at the start of the season before he was assigned to Tucson.
Kirkland dressed in 365 AHL games before he received an opportunity to play in the NHL. That chance came last December when he suited up in his first career game against the Los Angeles Kings. Unfortunately, his NHL run was cut short by a car accident on January 7th that he was involved in while he was on his way to a game against the Boston Bruins. Kirkland suffered some injuries in the crash and did not make it back to the NHL with the Ducks.
With his recall, Kirkland may get another opportunity to show he belongs in the NHL, and he has earned it after his solid start in the AHL this season.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Justin Kirkland
Similar to their signing of free agent forward, Zach Sanford, yesterday afternoon, the Arizona Coyotes continue to add some depth to their forward core. Today, the team announced they have agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with forward Justin Kirkland. Per the team’s policy, the Coyotes do not typically share the financial details of the contract with the public, but it would be safe to assume Kirkland will earn around $775K at the NHL level.
Drafted 62nd overall by the Nashville Predators back in the 2014 NHL Draft, Kirkland has spent the better part of the last seven seasons playing in the AHL but did suit up in seven games for the Anaheim Ducks last year. After his entry-level contract with the Predators reached its conclusion, Kirkland signed on with the Calgary Flames organization, signing three straight one-year deals with the team, only playing for their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat.
Kirkland’s most successful year came in 2021-22, scoring 25 goals and 23 assists for Stockton in 66 games. He finished fourth on the team in points and tallied 12 points in 13 playoffs on the Heat’s run to the 2022 Western Conference Finals. Similarly to Sanford, there is a slight possibility that Kirkland could find himself featuring in the Coyotes’ bottom six, but will likely spend the majority of the season with their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Anaheim Ducks Activate Troy Terry
The Anaheim Ducks have swapped some forwards, activating Troy Terry from injured reserve and moving Adam Henrique to take his place. Justin Kirkland, who cleared waivers earlier today, has also been loaned to the AHL.
Terry, 25, played just three shifts in his first game back after the All-Star break before going down to injury, meaning he hasn’t finished a full NHL game yet in February. The talented forward can now return to continue another strong season, with 42 points in 51 games.
More concerning for the Ducks is the status of Henrique, who has been ruled out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He was one of Anaheim’s trade chips heading into the deadline, as even with another year on his contract, his experience and versatility was drawing interest from several clubs.
Now, with some uncertainty around his health, it’s hard for contenders to jump into a Henrique if he costs a prime asset. The 33-year-old carries a cap hit of $5.825MM through 2023-24, and isn’t producing at quite the same rate as last season. Still, with 19 goals in 57 games, a decade of experience at center, and strong two-way tendencies, perhaps someone will welcome the risk at an injury-reduced price.
Injured on Tuesday, he technically could be activated to play in the Ducks’ final game before the deadline if he is healthy enough to get back on the ice.