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Liam O'Brien

Injury Notes: Merzlikins, Chatfield, Coyotes

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The Columbus Blue Jackets lost their starting goaltender after the first period of this evening’s contest with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Per a team release, Elvis Merzlikins would not play the remainder of the game due to an illness. Michael Hutchinson was forced into action with Merzlikins ruled out for the night. Merzlikins did return to the team’s bench early in the second period, which should rule out anything serious. After trading goaltender Joonas Korpisalo at the trade deadline, the Blue Jackets can’t afford to have another netminder unavailable to them.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced defenseman Jalen Chatfield would not return to the team’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. He suffered an upper-body injury after playing just over seven minutes of action. Chatfield has played 61 games for the Hurricanes this season, scoring five goals and 12 points. The team added some depth on the blue line at the deadline when they acquired Shayne Gostisbehere, and that extra depth could be tested if Chatfield misses any time.
  • Per a team release, Arizona Coyotes winger Liam O’Brien is out of the lineup due to illness. The 28-year-old forward has scored one goal and seven points in 38 games for the Coyotes this season. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports added newcomer Brett Ritchie will have to wait before making his Coyotes debut as he is still dealing with visa issues after being acquired on Mar 3 from the Calgary Flames.

Central Notes: DeBrincat, O’Brien, Spurgeon

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Blackhawks winger Alex DeBrincat will be eligible to sign a contract extension in July and indicated to reporters, including Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times, that he’s open to having those discussions whenever the team is.  The 24-year-old has been one of the few bright spots for Chicago this season, notching 40 goals and 36 assists in 79 games.  DeBrincat will be owed a $9MM qualifying offer in the 2023 offseason so it stands to reason that any discussion of an early extension will have that number as a starting point.  Pope adds that DeBrincat isn’t expected to suit up at the World Championships next month with him and his wife expecting their first child.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Coyotes winger Liam O’Brien may be able to return to the lineup on Wednesday against Dallas, relays Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last two months with an upper-body injury.  O’Brien has had a quiet year with three points and 106 penalty minutes in 37 games but was rewarded with a two-year contract extension last month, the first one-way deal of his career.
  • Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon left last night’s game early in the first period. While some were hoping he was being held out as a precautionary measure, head coach Dean Evason told reporters postgame, including Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link), that the blueliner suffered an upper-body injury and will undergo testing to learn how much time he’ll miss.  The timing is hardly optimal for Minnesota as Spurgeon is one of their top defensemen (he leads their back end in points with 39 while sitting third in ATOI at just over 21 minutes a night) and their first-round series against St. Louis starting early next week.

Arizona Coyotes Extend Liam O’Brien

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The Arizona Coyotes announced that they have signed forward Liam O’Brien to a two-year contract extension (link). As per club policy, the terms of the contract have not been made available at this time. O’Brien had signed a one-year deal with the Coyotes back on July 28, 2021, and would have become a UFA after this season. PuckPedia reports that the contract will carry a cap hit of $775K.

O’Brien has been a bright spot for the Coyotes and their fans this year. While he has just two goals and one assist in 37 games for Arizona this season, he does lead the NHL in penalty minutes with 106 and is second on the team with 131 hits. Coyotes’ GM Bill Armstrong described O’Brien as a “hard-working player with great character who is always there to support his teammates.”

The O’Brien extension is the second handed out by the Coyotes this weekend, having extended forward Travis Boyd yesterday. While these players may not be the building blocks of the Coyotes rebuild, the club has made clear that they want to keep parts of their veteran core in place, presumably to help develop and move along the future young core of this team, especially as it transitions to its temporary home at Arizona State University. The extensions also represent a willingness of current Coyotes players who are comfortable signing on to continue their stay in Arizona despite the many changes ahead of them.

Liam O’Brien Signs In AHL

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The squeeze is on for the unrestricted free agents still without contracts. Today, Liam O’Brien accepted an AHL contract from the Colorado Eagles for the upcoming season, after reaching Group VI unrestricted free agency this fall.

The 26-year-old was not re-signed by the Washington Capitals and will now be playing under a minor league contract for the first time. O’Brien first signed with the Capitals in 2014 after going undrafted and has been under an NHL deal in each of the last six years. Though mostly limited to minor league play, he did get into 17 NHL contests with the Capitals over the years, recording two points.

While O’Brien hasn’t played for the Capitals in several years and was unlikely to this season even if he did re-sign with the team, the fact that he had to accept an AHL deal shows how reluctant teams are this offseason. There are dozens of players just like him that could be staring at AHL-only deals as NHL teams try to trim the financial burden any way they can.

Minor Transactions: 11/01/19

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The ghouls and goblins are finished their annual haunt and we’re on to November in the NHL regular season. With the new month comes eight games, including a prime matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals for first place in the Eastern Conference. It has been a long time since Buffalo fans could say that about their team, but after a 9-2-2 start they sit among the elite in the NHL.

As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves leading up to tonight’s action:

  • The Capitals have recalled Liam O’Brien from the minor leagues, with Nic Dowd and Evgeny Kuznetsov dealing with minor injuries. O’Brien has three points in nine AHL games this season but hasn’t suited up for an NHL contest since 2017-18.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Nic Petan to the minor leagues, perhaps in preparation for John Tavares’ return. Petan actually cleared waivers just before the season started, meaning he can be one of the players Toronto removes from the roster without risking him to the rest of the league. The team had been trying to find a landing spot for Petan to give him a better opportunity, but that doesn’t appear to have worked so far.
  • C.J. Suess has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets, giving them another forward option as they start the weekend. Suess has one goal in eight games for the Manitoba Moose this year, and would be making his NHL debut if he gets into any game action with the Jets.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have flipped William Lagesson to the minor leagues while bringing up Colby Cave, who previously cleared waivers and has spent the last few weeks with the Bakersfield Condors.
  • The Buffalo Sabres’ top goalie prospect is ready to return to action. After beginning the season on the injured reserve, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has finally been cleared to play and has been reassigned to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones by the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The first-year pro will have to work his way up from the “AA” level, but given his dominance of both the OHL and World Junior Championship last year, that likely won’t be a problem.
  • Also returning to action is Carolina Hurricanes prospect Stelio Mattheos. After helping the Charlotte Checkers capture the Calder Cup last year, Mattheos was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent treatment this summer. The Checkers announced that he will officially return to the lineup on Friday night.
  • The AHL lists the Boston Bruins as recalling forward Peter Cehlarik from AHL Providence, although the team has not formally announced the move. This could be because of some doubts as to whether Brett Ritchie will be able to go on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. If he can, the Bruins would quietly return Cehlarik to the minors. If not, Providence’s leading scorer would be a candidate to replace Ritchie in the lineup, competing with David Backes and Par Lindholm. 

Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/18

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It’s the last day of September and the start of the regular season is mere days away. Final cuts are looming and the decisions are going to get much tougher. While the drama really lies with the waiver wire over the next few days, keep track here of all the players otherwise sent down right here:

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

F Justin Bailey (to Rochester, AHL)
F Nicholas Baptiste (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via CapFriendly)

F Patrick Brown (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Greg McKegg (to Charlotte, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (per CapFriendly)

G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dylan Sikura (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

G Jean-Francois Berube (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Zac Dalpe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Dan DeSalvo (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Nathan Gerbe (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Miles Koules (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Mark Letestu (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Ryan MacInnis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Michael Prapavessis (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Dillon Simpson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Sam Vigneault (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Justin Wade (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via Mark Stepneski of NHL.com)

F Erik Condra (to Texas, AHL)
F Michael Mersch (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (per team Twitter update)

F Jussi Jokinen (released from PTO, via MLive’s Ansar Khan)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Harri Sateri (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter update)

D Jakub Jerabek (awaiting assignment)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

G Charlie Lindgren (to Montreal, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter update)

D Brandon Crawley (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)

D Mark Friedman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Carter Hart (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

D Erik Cerna (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team Twitter update; Dhiren Mahiban)

D Andreas Borgman (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Emerson Clark (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
F Colin Greening (to Toronto, AHL)
F Carl Grundstrom (to Toronto, AHL)
D Timothy Liljegren (to Toronto, AHL)
F Mason Marchment (to Toronto, AHL)
F Trevor Moore (to Toronto, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmytro Timashov (to Toronto, AHL)
D Sean Durzi (from Toronto, AHL to Owen Sound, OHL)
D Mac Hollowell (from Toronto, AHL to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via The Athletic’s Chris Kuk)

F Riley Barber (to Hershey, AHL)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)

Minor Transactions: 11/11/17

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As is often the case, Saturday is set to be a busy day around the NHL with a dozen games on tap.  Here’s where we will keep track of today’s roster moves as teams get their rosters set before puck drop.

  • The Predators announced that they have assigned winger Frederick Gaudreau to Milwaukee of the AHL while loaning winger Pontus Aberg to the minors as well on a conditioning assignment. Gaudreau has played in ten contests with Nashville this season, recording two assists while Aberg has a pair of helpers in nine games but has only played once so far in November.
  • After being recalled on Friday, the Stars returned winger Curtis McKenzie to AHL Texas, notes NHL.com’s Sean Shapiro via Twitter. With Brett Ritchie coming off IR and returning to the lineup last night, McKenzie was made a healthy scratch.  While the 26-year-old has yet to play in Dallas this year, he’s off to a strong start in the minors with 11 points (6-5-11) in 12 games, good for second on Texas in team scoring.
  • The Capitals announced that they have returned Liam O’Brien to Hershey of the AHL. The physical winger has played in three games with Washington this season, collecting five penalty minutes while averaging 6:55 per game.  He also has a pair of goals in nine minor league contests.  The move was made with the team expecting winger Brett Connolly to return to the lineup on Sunday from his head injury.

Minor Transactions: 1/6/17

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Here are the minor transactions from around the hockey world for January 6, 2017.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have called up goaltender Tristian Jarry and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the Wilkes-Barrie/ Scranton Penguins. Jarry has 14 wins this season, which puts him in a four-way tie to lead the AHL. Jarry returns to the NHL club to cover for Matt Murray’s recent injury. The Penguins had their CBA-mandated bye-week, so Jarry was sent down to play games instead of getting a week off. He has yet to make his NHL debut. Ruhwedel has 15 points in 27 games with the AHL club this year, and two points in five NHL games.
  • The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Liam O’Brien from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. O’Brien has 18 points in 28 games with the Bears, and could play his first NHL game since 2014-15. He had two points in 13 games with the Capitals in his first year of professional hockey. O’Brien has 42 points in 132 AHL games in his career, and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
  • A day after clearing waivers, Anton Khudobin is on his way to the AHL as the Bruins call up Zane McIntyre in a swap of backup goaltenders. McIntyre is unbeaten in the AHL this season with a spectacular 10-0-0 record and an AHL-leading 0.951 SV% and a 1.41 GAA. He hasn’t had the same success at the NHL level, though. He’s 0-2-0 in three appearances with a 0.859 SV% and a 4.04 GAA. Meanwhile, Khudobin has struggled in his second stint in Boston, with just one win in seven games and a GAA of 3.06. He’s in the first season of a two-year contract which pays him $1.2MM per season. Khudobin will still account for $250K against the Bruins cap while he plies his trade in the AHL.
  • The Bruins have also returned energy forward Noel Acciari to the Providence Bruins. Acciari has struggled to earn regular play time in Boston since returning from injury two weeks ago.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned defenseman Gustav Forsling to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Forsling was a pleasant surprise who made the Blackhawks out of training camp, but has seen his ice-time decrease throughout the season. He has four points in 32 games in the NHL this season. The Blackhawks likely wanted to stop carrying eight defensemen, as veterans Brian Campbell and Michal Rozsival were healthy scratches for last night’s game. Forsling did not need to clear waivers to be sent down, so he was the odd-man out.
  • Staying with the Blackhawks organization, Spencer Abbott was recalled by Chicago on January 3. Three days and one game later, he’s heading back to the Rockford. Abbott was held pointless in just over eight minutes of ice on Thursday night. He has 21 points in 30 AHL games in his first full year in the Blackhawks organization since being acquired at the 2015 NHL trade deadline. Abbott played last season in Sweden before returning to North America. It’s likely that Jordin Tootoo will draw back into the lineup in his place.
  • The Dallas Stars have sent Patrik Nemeth to the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 6’3, 215 lbs defenseman has played in just 16 games with the Stars this season, with no points.
  • Oilers prospect Jordan Oesterle is heading back to Bakersfield. He has yet to appear in any NHL games this season, having been recalled to serve as the seventh defenseman twice. The speedy defenseman has eight points in 14 AHL games this year after scoring five points in 17 games with the Oilers last season.

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