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Phil Di Giuseppe

Minor Transactions: 02/02/20

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The biggest game of the day obviously belongs to the world of football, with Super Bowl LIV taking place down in Miami. However, the NHL is also providing a pretty big game of their own, with the league-leading Washington Capitals hosting the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first meeting of the two teams this year. The Penguins trail the Capitals by just six points with a game in hand for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and possibly the NHL. The clubs will square off again in three weeks and for a final time two weeks after that in three crucial games for each. Interestingly, each team’s All-Star goalie will sit today, as Ilya Samsonov starts for the Capitals and Matt Murray goes for the Penguins. Pittsburgh is opting to go with experience, choosing Murray over standout rookie Tristan Jarry, while Washington will go with the hot hand, as Samsonov is 11-0-0 with a 1.73 GAA and .936 save percentage while serving as backup to inconsistent starter Braden Holtby. Penguins-Capitals is one of three games on the docket today, all of which begin this afternoon and should be over well before kickoff. Assuming NHL front offices aren’t totally consumed by the Super Bowl themselves, expect the 22 teams not in action to use the off day to tweak their rosters ahead of a new week of games. Keep up with all the action right here:

  • After being recalled for last night’s game, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud has been sent back down to the AHL. He won’t be alone, as the team announced that both Whitecloud and forward Nicolas Roy has been reassigned to the Chicago Wolves. Don’t be surprised if either is back up with the Knights shortly, sent down only as a means of cap savings.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have assigned defenseman Kyle Capobianco to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Capobianco was recalled Saturday to fill in against the Blackhawks last night, recording two shots and four hits in 14:44 of ice time.
  • The New York Rangers announced they have recalled forward Phillip Di Giuseppe from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. The 26-year-old wing has received the call on several occasions this year, but has not gotten into a game. He has 14 goals and 26 points in 44 games this year with Hartford. He could have been added as extra insurance in case Chris Kreider has to miss some time after leaving the game on Saturday.

Minor Transactions: 12/22/19

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It’s a quiet day in the NHL with just four games on the schedule, the most interesting being the matchup with the Calgary Flames visiting the Dallas Stars. It should get more interesting on Monday with a full slate of games before the NHL darkens for the holiday break and players will get three full days off to relax with their families before restarting again on Friday. Despite a roster freeze, teams can still call up players to fill out their rosters, so keep an eye here for all transactions for the day:

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have recalled forward Daniel Sprong from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Sprong, who played 47 games with the Ducks last season (plus 16 with Pittsburgh), finally gets a chance to return to the NHL this season. He’s played 24 games with San Diego, scoring seven goals and 18 points. He’ll fill in immediately for a banged up Anaheim squad.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have recalled forward John Quenneville from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. With Brandon Saad on injured reserve, the team had an open roster spot. The 23-year-old has not played a game yet for Chicago since being acquired over the summer from New Jersey. Quenneville has scored eight goals and 13 points in 19 AHL games this season.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned several players to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as the team announced that forwards Joseph Blandisi and Thomas Di Pauli as well as defenseman Kevin Czuczman have all been sent to the AHL. Blandisi, who has played in 14 games for Pittsburgh this year, did play in all three Western Conference games, even scoring a goal on Friday. Neither Di Pauli or Czuczman got into a Penguins game.
  • The Minnesota Wild announced they have activated center Joel Eriksson Ek off of injured reserve and have assigned forward Luke Johnson to the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Eriksson Ek has missed the last week with an undisclosed injury. The 22-year-old has scored two goals and 12 points in 30 games this season.
  • The New York Rangers announced they have recalled forward Phillip Di Giuseppe from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL to help fill in the roster for the team’s final game on Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers before the winter break hits. The 26-year-old forward has nine goals and 17 points in 17 games with Hartford.

Free Agent Focus: Nashville Predators

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Free agency opens in six days and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market, especially after today’s qualifying offer deadline. Those who received offers and remain restricted still need to be re-signed as well. Nashville has only two such RFA’s, but plenty of UFA’s in need of attention. Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation:

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Colton Sissons – Sissons proved that the 2017-18 season and bookend postseasons were no fluke with his performance this year. Sissons emerged on the scene during the Predators’ 2017 Stanley Cup run and he has not let up since. Not only did the 25-year-old set career highs with 15 goals and 30 points this season, he continued to show that he is a high-end defensive forward. It was a dominant year at the face-off dot for Sissons, who also led the team in hits and was second in blocked shots among forwards. Sissons was a force in the bottom-six and the team would like to have him there long term. Nashville is famous for signing budding young players to team-friendly long-term deals and Sissons is a prime candidate to be the next in line. With offensive totals that are still relatively low and a role on the team that could still technically be considered “fourth-line”, Sissons could be taken for a good rate on a long-term deal only to continue blossoming into an elite two-way center.

F Rocco Grimaldi – After bouncing around from Florida to Colorado and not being made a qualifying offer last summer, Grimaldi signed with Nashville and finally found a team willing to give him consistent ice time and opportunity. The 5’6″ forward responded with a career-high 13 points and 53 games, as well as some impressive possession metrics. Grimaldi is limited by his size and may never be a full-time player, especially in the more aggressive Western Conference, but the Predators solved the puzzle of how best to use him last year and he will likely be an affordable extension that can continue to be a capable depth piece. His mere $715K qualifying offer may even be a fair place to start.

Other RFAs: None

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Wayne Simmonds – Simmonds is a key free agent… for other teams. The Predators have already announced that they will not bring back the 30-year-old power forward. Though really, who can blame them? After coming over from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, Simmonds recorded just three points in 17 regular season games and was benched for all but two of the Predators’ playoff games. It was a bad fit for both sides and a continued partnership seemed like a long shot. Simmonds may be slowing down, but the interest in him is reportedly still heating up. The respected veteran will be playing in the NHL for years to come still, just not in Nashville.

F Brian Boyle – Boyle, on the other hand, was a trade acquisition who did work out and there could be mutual interest in an extension. The 34-year-old did not produce much on the score sheet, but excelled defensively, as he always have. A big, physical presence who plays a smart defensive game, Boyle is the time of veteran fourth liner that can put a contender over the top. At the right price, Nashville wouldn’t mind being that defender. However, Boyle will have to come down from his expiring $2.55MM cap hit to remain a Predator, but other teams may be willing to maintain that salary.

Other UFAs: F Phil Di Giuseppe, F Tyler Gaudet, F Justin Kirkland, G Tom McCollum, F Cody McLeod, F Zac Rinaldo, F Cole Schneider

Projected Cap Space: Moving a $9MM cap hit off the books in exchange for next to no salary in return will do wonders for your cap space. Following the P.K. Subban trade, the Predators now have an estimated $13.2MM in cap space accounting for 21 players, a few of whom will not be on the opening night roster. That should leave the team with more than enough room to get Sissons and Grimaldi under contract, as well as bring in a big-name free agent (read: Matt Duchene).

Hurricanes Re-Sign Phil Di Giuseppe

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Although the Carolina Hurricanes did not qualify restricted free agent Phil Di Giuseppe earlier today, it was quickly revealed that they were still in negotiations with the young forward. Now a deal is done, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that the Hurricanes have signed Di Giuseppe to a one-year, $750K extension.

While there is no official report yet from the team indicating the nature of the contract, it is possible that this is a two-way deal for the 24-year old left winger. Di Giuseppe signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $725K at the NHL level with the Hurricanes last season, making this new deal a slight raise. However, Di Giuseppe also played in a career-high 49 games with Carolina this season and very well may have earned himself a one-way deal.

Di Giuseppe notched five goals and added eight assists this season with the ’Canes, mostly skating in limited minutes on the fourth line in an energy role. Yet, he showed a much-improved defensive game this year, as well as stronger possession game. The former University of Michigan star displayed the makings of a more complete NHL style in 2017-18 and on another affordable contract, could play a larger role in Raleigh this year and prove to be a bargain asset.

Hurricanes Make A Trio Of Roster Moves

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The Hurricanes announced three separate roster moves today, including the recall of winger Lee Stempniak from his conditioning stint with Charlotte of the AHL.  However, the move isn’t a sign that he’s ready to return to their lineup as he was injured in the first period on Friday night and as a result, he could be headed back to injured reserve.

The 34-year-old has yet to play this season as he had been dealing with a hip injury.  Once healthy, he should be a nice boost to Carolina’s lineup after recording 40 points in his first season with them last year but his return to the lineup has been held up now.

Also coming up from the Checkers is winger Phillip Di Giuseppe.  He sits fourth on the team in points with four goals and eight assists in 14 games.  While this will be his first stint with Carolina this season, he has played in at least 36 NHL contests in each of the last two seasons.

He will take the place of winger Patrick Brown on the roster as the team re-assigned Brown back to Charlotte.  Despite being recalled back on October 31st, he didn’t get into a game with the Hurricanes and was scratched five times.  He had recorded four points and 25 penalty minutes in nine minor league contests prior to being summoned.

Carolina Hurricanes Extend Phil Di Giuseppe

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The Carolina Hurricanes and Phil Di Giuseppe have come to terms on a new contract that will keep the young winger in Raleigh, or at least across the state in Charlotte, for another year. TSN’s Aaron Ward reports that Di Giuseppe has re-signed with the ’Canes on a one-year, two-way deal that will pay him $725K at the NHL level.

Di Giuseppe, a 2012 second-round pick of the Hurricanes, will enter his fourth pro season in 2017-18, but is still looking for his breakout campaign. The 23-year-old has had modest success in the NHL, but has been unable to carve out a full-time role for himself in Carolina. A former star at the University of Michigan and a consistent scoring threat in the AHL in with the Charlotte Checkers, Di Giuseppe’s skill is undeniable. A swift skater with good instincts, Di Giuseppe has complied 77 points in 144 AHL games over the last three seasons after registering 78 points in 115 games for the Wolverines. However, that scoring pace has not quite translated to success with the Hurricanes, where Di Giuseppe has 24 points in 77 games over the past two seasons. Still working to build a well-rounded game, Di Giuseppe’s ability to put up points is nothing to complain about – he could very well be a 30-point player over the course of an 82-game NHL schedule – but on a team full of young talent, Di Giuseppe has simply been unable to hold onto a roster spot due. The young forward could stand to bring a little more two-way play and special teams ability to the mix if he wants to make himself into a valuable piece of the puzzle for a Carolina team that is desperate to get back to the playoffs.

For now, Di Giuseppe is likely to be given a shot to make the NHL roster in camp, but faces an uphill battle to secure a spot with Jeff Skinner, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Elias Lindholm, Lee Stempniak, Brock McGinn and now Justin Williams as the competition for a shot on the wing. Di Giuseppe seems likely to head back to the Checkers to begin this season, but must capitalize on the next chance he gets in Carolina. The scoring forward seems like he has what it takes, but has simply lacked the ability to hold on to his job for longer than 30 or 4o games in a season. We’ll see if that changes in 2017-18.

With Di Giuseppe signed, the Carolina Hurricanes have dealt with all of their restricted free agents and look to have a deep and promising lineup that is ready to go for the new season. Predicted to be one of the worst teams in the NHL in 2016-17, the ’Canes showed everyone with a season that nearly ended in a playoff berth. The young squad hopes that they can take that next step this year.

Afternoon Transactions: Oilers, Hurricanes, Blues, Wild, Capitals

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Assorted transactions from around the NHL this afternoon:

  • The Oilers announced (via Twitter) that they have assigned defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the Bakersfield Condors. The 24-year-old was recalled to the NHL earlier this month. In two games with the Oilers this season, Oesterle hasn’t recorded a point, although he has compiled three goals and 15 assists in 26 AHL games.
  • The Hurricanes announced that they have recalled forward Phil Di Giuseppe from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 23-year-old has recorded one goal and one assist in 18 games with the Hurricanes this season, and he’s collected 20 points in 33 games with the Checkers.
  • The Blues have assigned forward Kenny Agostino to the AHL, reports Norm Sanders of the Belleville News-Democrat (via Twitter). The former fifth-rounder has played in seven games with St. Louis this season, compiling one goal and two assists. In 48 AHL games, Agostino collected 18 goals and 42 assists.
  • The Wild announced that they have returned right winger Alex Tuch back to Iowa of the AHL.  Minnesota’s first round pick (18th overall) back in 2015 has played in six games with the big club this season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:42 of ice time per night.  He’s having a strong rookie year at the minor league level though, scoring 12 goals and 13 assists in 36 games with Iowa.
  • The Capitals announced they assigned center Jakub Vrana to Hershey of the AHL.  He was recalled on Friday but didn’t play over the weekend.  The 20 year old has a goal and two assists in 12 games with the Capitals this season and has put up 25 points in 33 games with Hershey.  Washington is off until Wednesday and there’s a good chance they’ll recall Vrana before that time but they will save a bit of cap space in the meantime by sending him down for a few days.

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