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Matt Murray (b. 1994)

Minor Transactions: 2/4/18

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After a full slate of games Saturday, the NHL only has a three-game schedule on Super Bowl Sunday, the most interesting of which is the early game which matches up the Vegas Golden Knights with the Washington Capitals. With most teams having played last night, there may be quite a few roster moves made today to get ready for the new week.

  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned goaltender goaltender Ken Appleby to the Binghamton Devils and recalled goaltender Eddie Lack. Appleby was recalled back on Jan. 20 on emergency loan after backup goalie Keith Kinkaid went on injured reserve and starter Cory Schneider went down with a groin injury. Appleby played well in his three appearances as he had a 1.45 GAA and a .945 save percentage in that time. While Kinkaid has been activated, Schneider is still not skating yet. Lack, who has been injured recently, finally returned to Binghamton’s lineup and stopped 28 of 30 shots, and might be the preferred backup until Schneider returns to the team.
  • NHL.com’s Brian Hedger writes that the Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned defenseman Cameron Gaunce to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL after having been recalled Saturday. He did not play in last night’s game and still hasn’t made his NHL debut this season. The 27-year-old blueliner has two goals and 10 assists in 36 games for Cleveland. The assignment suggests that defenseman Ryan Murray might be ready to return for Columbus.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins swapped goaltenders today as the team has recalled Tristan Jarry from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette’s Jason Mackey. The team also assigned Casey DeSmith to their AHL team. Jarry has played 18 games for Pittsburgh this year, backing up Matt Murray. The 22-year-old has a 2.44 GAA and a .919 save percentage. DeSmith has also fared well in just seven appearances for the NHL club. He owns a 2.24 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
  • The New York Rangers announced that they have recalled forward Vinni Lettieri from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Lettieri was assigned to Hartford on Jan. 26. In 10 games for the Rangers, he has one goal and three assists. He has fared well in Hartford as he has 14 goals and 23 points in 35 AHL games. Lettieri should fill the roster spot for forward Jimmy Vesey, who isn’t expected to play Monday after taking a hit from Nashville’s Filip Forsberg.
  • The Boston Bruins announced they have assigned forward Austin Czarnik to the Providence Bruins Sunday. The 25-year-old forward was recalled on emergency loan Saturday. The diminutive forward did play in last night’s game, picking up an assist in 9:07 of playing time in the Bruins 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have assigned goaltender Adin Hill to the Tucson Roadrunners Sunday. He was recalled as an emergency replacement on Friday after starter Antti Raanta was in a car accident. Raanta wasn’t hurt, but was held out for precautionary reasons. Hill didn’t see any time. He has played in three games for Arizona, but has struggled with a 3.76 GAA. The 21-year-old has fared better with Tucson as he has 2.59 in 20 appearances.
  • NHL.com’s Alex Stepneski tweets the Dallas Stars have assigned goaltender Landon Bow to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Bow was recalled Saturday after starter Ben Bishop took a puck to the head. A concussion had been ruled out, but the team removed him for precautionary reasons. Bow’s assignment suggests Bishop will be ready for their next game.

East Notes: Panthers, Budaj, Murray, Gostisbehere

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Although the Panthers find themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot, don’t expect them to turn to the rental market to try to add someone to help make that push.  Speaking with reporters (video via the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel), GM Dale Tallon stated that they’re only going to be making a move if they can get someone who fits in long-term and that they have identified several targets around the league that could fit that bill.  This represents a shift from last year when they picked up Thomas Vanek from Detroit as a rental on deadline day in a move that did little to help their postseason aspirations.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Lightning goaltender Peter Budaj will be out for a while yet. GM Steve Yzerman told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link) that Budaj’s leg injury will keep him out for six-to-eight weeks from December 29th, the day he was hurt.  That means he will be out for the next month at a minimum so Louis Domingue will be sticking around as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup for the foreseeable future following their bye.
  • Pittsburgh’s recall of goaltender Casey DeSmith yesterday wasn’t due to an injury. Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that netminder Matt Murray is away from the team due to personal reasons.  There’s no word on when he will return to the Penguins.  Tristan Jarry will get the extra workload in Murray’s absence.
  • Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere isn’t expected to play tonight due to an illness, notes Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post (Twitter link).  His absence is a big one for Philadelphia as he sits fourth in team scoring with 32 points in 39 games while logging nearly 21 minutes a night of playing time.  Travis Sanheim is slated to take his place in the lineup.

Trade Notes: Veleno, Hutchinson, Penguins

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Few junior-level trades draw the attention of any NHL teams outside of those teams who have drafted players involved. However, when it comes to “exceptional player” and presumptive 2018 top ten pick Joe Veleno, a new team is a whole new opportunity to evaluate his talent. Veleno, a member of the 2017 QMJHL champion Saint John Sea Dogs, has been traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs for three first-round picks and two second-round picks, per Sportsnet. The Sea Dogs lost top prospects Thomas Chabot (OTT), Jakub Zboril (BOS), and Julien Gauthier (CAR), as well as 2016-17 leading scorers Matthew Highmore (CHI), Mathieu Joseph (TB), and Spencer Smallman (CAR) to the pros this season, resulting in a massive drop-off in success. Veleno and Edmonton Oilers 2017 selection Ostap Safin have been point-per-game scorers this season, but it hasn’t been enough to keep Saint John out of the basement of the QMJHL’s Maritime Division. Veleno, the first and only player awarded early entry to the QMJHL under “exceptional player status”, will now head to Drummondville and hook up with an overachieving Voltigeurs squad that is tied for the most points in the league, despite having few high-end prospects outside of 2018 eligible defenseman Nicolas Beaudin. How Veleno adjusts to not only joining a new team, but stepping in and immediately becoming the most talented player on the roster could be extremely telling for scouts. Veleno is projected by most to be selected somewhere between #5 and #10 overall in June, so success in Drummondville could be enough to ensure that he is a top five pick, while struggle could knock him out of the top ten altogether.

  • Back in the NHL, trade talk surrounding goalies is the hot topic right now. According to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos (video), the Edmonton Oilers are focused in on Winnipeg Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson and are hoping to make a deal soon. With Cam Talbot injured, Edmonton has been on the hunt for help in net and Hutchison – who is buried in Winnipeg – appears to be their first choice. As Kypreos states, the only delay on the deal is the health of Jets backup Steve Mason. Mason is on his way back from a concussion and Winnipeg wants to take their time with his evaluation before trading away their goalie depth. Although it is Eric Comrie, not Hutchison, currently backing up Connor Hellebuyck, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff holds all the power in the negotiation and clearly wants to play it safe.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are also thought to be in the hunt for backup goaltending. Although starter Matt Murray appears to be back to full health and ready to return, there are doubts about the play of young Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith behind him. Jarry was pulled from last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after allowing three goals on 16 shots and DeSmith allowed the game-winner on one of the only nine shots he faced. Jarry has been okay overall this season, especially as a 22-year-old rookie, but DeSmith has struggled mightily in his two brief appearances and cannot be relied upon at this point in time. With Murray also not playing his best hockey thus far – he has a save percentage just north of .900 and a goals against average just south of 3.00 – the Penguins may want a more seasoned, dependable #2 or #3 behind him, something they tried and failed to find with Antti Niemi. 

Penguins Notes: Centers, Cole, Kuhnhackl, Murray

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Despite acquiring Riley Sheahan earlier in the season, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests in a reader chat that the Penguins are still likely to pursue another third line center.  However, instead of looking towards the rental market, he notes that they would prefer a younger player that has years of team control left beyond this one.  Mackey singles out Vegas as a team that GM Jim Rutherford could be intrigued by.  They have several pivots (Cody Eakin, Erik Haula, and Oscar Lindberg) that are 26 and are signed for one more year beyond this one although Eakin’s $3.85MM cap hit is probably too much for them to take on.

More from Pittsburgh:

  • In the same chat, Mackey reports that the Sabres were one of the teams to express interest last month in defenseman Ian Cole. Buffalo joins Vegas, Toronto, and Colorado as teams that have at least inquired about Cole’s availability.  However, with blueliner Justin Schultz on the shelf for a little while, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Penguins aren’t as willing to deal him now as they were not too long ago.
  • Winger Tom Kuhnhackl is dealing with an upper-body injury, the team announced via Twitter. He’ll be evaluated by team doctors before they give a timeline for how long he might be out.  The injury was sustained on Thursday night in a collision with teammate Ryan Reaves in the third period and he did not return to the game afterwards.
  • While he isn’t ready to return to the lineup just yet, goaltender Matt Murray has taken to the ice in full equipment and the next step for him is to return to practice with the team in the coming days, notes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that they are pleased with Murray’s progress as he recovers from his lower-body injury sustained back on November 23rd.

Minor Transactions: 11/28/17

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Like always, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor transactions around the league right here. Make sure to bookmark or refresh throughout the day to keep up with all the movement.

Pittsburgh Penguins Swap Casey DeSmith, Tristan Jarry

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The Casey DeSmith experiment didn’t last long. After giving up three goals on 15 shots in relief of Matt Murray last night as his NHL debut, DeSmith will head back to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in exchange for Tristan Jarry. DeSmith also took a delay of game penalty when he shot the puck over the glass early in the second period, a rough start to his NHL career.

Jarry, 22, is the better prospect of the two goaltenders and had previously made his NHL debut last season. While the Penguins seemed to want him to start and develop in the minor leagues the need for goaltending help is apparently too great. Pittsburgh already jettisoned Antti Niemi after he failed to show NHL-caliber goaltender, and with Matt Murray struggling to find his Stanley Cup form, the team needs someone reliable to turn to. Murray has just a .903 save percentage so far this season.

The Penguins are now 7-5-1 on the season, but carry the third worst team save percentage in the entire league and have given up the most goals against (though, their 13 games played leads the league as well). If Jarry can provide some stability behind Murray, the team obviously has the talent to be Stanley Cup contenders. They also obviously know the value of a good backup, after holding onto Marc-Andre Fleury last season only to need him in the playoffs once again.

Eastern Notes: Smith-Pelly, Andersen, Fedun

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A few days ago, Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz hinted that bottom-six winger Devante Smith-Pelly might be nearing a promotion to a better line. Well, NBC Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir writes that tonight will be that promotion as the 25-year-old has been moved onto the team’s top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in their game against the Edmonton Oilers.

Smith-Pelly, who came to Washington this offseason, has had a very inconsistent career, starting when he was a highly-touted prospect and was drafted in the second round in 2010 by the Anaheim Ducks. Despite his junior success and his success at the AHL level, the winger had trouble figuring things out at the NHL level and quickly found himself bouncing around different teams. He signed a one-year, $650K deal with Washington this offseason after a one-year stint in New Jersey a year ago in which he tallied just nine points in 53 games.

Now, with the Capitals, he has started to show some of his skills and has earned the trust of Trotz. While he’s yet to score a goal, the belief is that his talents might be a perfect fit alongside Ovechkin and Kuznetsov. Smith-Pelly will replace Jakub Vrana, who moves to the team’s second line next to T.J. Oshie and Niklas Backstrom, who is returning after missing a game due to illness.

“He deserves it. He’s put in the work. His game is such that he needs to move up in the lineup,” Trotz said on Smith-Pelly’s promotion.

 

Morning Notes: Niemi, Subban, McIntyre, O’Gara

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While the Pittsburgh Penguins tackled one area of need yesterday evening when they traded winger Scott Wilson and their 2018 third-round pick to Detroit for center Riley Sheahan and a 2018 fifth-round pick, Penguins brass might not be able to take a break as a new weakness was exposed last night in their 7-1 loss Saturday to the Tampa Bay Lightning — goaltending.

The team went with backup Antti Niemi, who they signed after he was bought out by the Dallas Stars in June. It was his third appearance for Pittsburgh and he now has allowed 16 goals (only seven of those came last night) and has a 7.49 GAA and a .797 save percentage. The team may be forced to look for a new backup goaltender, according to Adam Gretz of NBC Sports.

The difference between Niemi’s starts and that of starter Matt Murray are night and day. Niemi’s only other start was a 10-1 loss, hence his high goals against. The team plays much better when Murray is in goal as the team is 5-0-1 and the Penguins have outscored their opponents 24-17 in those games. Gretz does suggest it can’t all be Niemi’s fault. Both of his starts came on the second night of back-to-back games when players were more tired and the team they played were rested.

However, despite those excuses, some blame has to fall on Niemi, who has legitimately struggled. The team isn’t used to having issues at that position as they have had the past luxury of having Marc-Andre Fleury as a backup. Now, they might have to look elsewhere if they want that aspect of their team to improve. The scribe suggests they will give Niemi more time to adjust, but also suggests the team has 2013 second-round pick Tristan Jarry sitting in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. He has struggled a bit too, although it’s a bit early, as he has a 3.96 GAA and a .883 save percentage in three games there.

  • John Shannon of Sportsnet tweets that Vegas Golden Knights’ backup goaltender Malcolm Subban, who had to leave Saturday night’s game due to an apparent leg injury, will have an MRI today to determine the severity of the injury. According to Shannon, a team source said the Subban will be “probably out weeks.” Subban, who has started the last three games after their starter, Fleury, went on IR last week with concussion-related issues, has a 2.06 GAA and a .936 save percentage in his three starts. Oscar Dansk filled in for Subban in the third and immediately allowed the game-tying goal to St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo, but then settled down and made 10 consecutive saves after that to claim the overtime victory, the Golden Knights’ sixth win of the season. Dansk had just been called up on Thursday to replace emergency backup Maxime Lagace, who was sent to the AHL Chicago Wolves to get playing time.
  • The Boston Bruins have assigned goaltender Zane McIntyre and defenseman Rob O’Gara to Providence of the AHL, the team announced. Both were recent call-ups to fill in for injured players and now, with the Bruins not playing until Thursday, the team sent them down. McIntyre was called up after Tuukka Rask reportedly was injured during practice Thursday. The 25-year-old did not get into a game with Boston. He has performed well in Providence, having accrued a 2.35 GAA and a .914 save percentage in three games. O’Gara was recalled yesterday and filled in for injured defenseman Kevan Miller. NBC Sports Joe Haggerty tweeted that O’Gara played a solid games for Boston. O’Gara had an assist in three games with Providence before his call up. CapFriendly tweets that with the two demotions, the team is $863,333 under the ACSL (the new upper limit), which allows them to accrue valuable cap space against that amount.

Central Notes: Crawford, Steen, Bouwmeester, Rinne

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The Chicago Blackhawks have started the new season on a high note after bowing out early in the playoffs a year ago. The team has shown off its offense with 15 goals in two games, showing they have no intention of slowly fading away into obscurity. However, despite the success of the team’s offense, there is little attention focused on another key player, that of goaltender Corey Crawford, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Tracey Myers.

The veteran netminder has allowed just one goal in each of his first two starts, but has made many tough saves to keep the team’s lopsided scores as impressive as they were. Crawford’s .968 save percentage has been critical and has gotten the team off to another impressive start to start the season as he has stopped a few breakaway and second chances against him. While no one thinks those numbers are sustainable after just two games, Crawford spent much of the offseason working with former goaltender Jimmy Waite on the little parts of his game.

“I mean, he made several key saves,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “I like him around the net. He’s cutting off plays that they’re trying to make that could generate even more chances. His anticipation in that area has been outstanding, he’s been moving the puck well, he’s square and seems like he’s very involved. A lot of good things have happened in a couple of games, but Crow’s been rock solid.”

  • Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that St. Louis Blues forward Alex Steen is closing in on returning to practice with the team during their four-game road trip that starts on Monday. Steen, who broke his hand on Sept. 19 when he was slashed by the Stars’ Antoine Roussel, has been skating on his own prior to some practices, but is closer to rejoining the team than defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who is recovering from a fractured ankle he suffered in a preseason game on Sept. 17. However, Thomas writes that even Bouwmeester is inching towards a return, but Steen has the advantage.
  • Adam Vingan of the Tennessean writes that the Nashville Predators went with Juuse Saros Saturday due to Pekka Rinne’s lack of success when it comes to playing in PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Rinne, who lost all three of his starts there in the Stanley Cup finals (to go with a .755 save percentage there) and has never won there in six career starts. Saros, making his first start, allowed the first goal after 66 seconds of play, but played better once he settled down. He still allowed four goals, while Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray picked up his third shutout in a row against Nashville, including two shutouts in the Stanley Cup finals.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Goalie Antti Niemi

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Antti Niemi will look to turn his career around as the recently bough-out goalie will move from expensive split starter, making $4.5MM with the Dallas Stars, to cheap veteran backup, making just $700K for the reigning Stanley Cup champs, according to a team release. The Penguins lacked an experienced substitute for Marc-Andre Fleury, which the desperately need for the talented, but oft-injured Matt Murray, and they hope Niemi can fit the bill and improve upon his ghastly .892 save percentage in 2016-17.

Niemi is an interesting story, as an undrafted goaltender who took the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup as a rookie, only to go to San Jose and struggle to get his team deep in the playoffs. Now, bought out by the Stars he’ll try to get back to the Finals with the team whose won the last two.

For the Penguins, watching Fleury go was hard not just because of his strong ties to the team and community, but also because of the stellar goaltending he’s given them for so long. Niemi is coming off a year in which he registered an .892 save percentage, and though some of that might be due to the weak team in Dallas, it’ll have to bounce back or he’ll find himself out of the league. That number isn’t acceptable by any NHL goaltender, much less one on a team hoping to compete.

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