Carolina Hurricanes Sign Calvin De Haan
The Carolina Hurricanes, known for their depth and talent on defense, continue to surprisingly add top blue line names to the roster this off-season. After previously trading for right-handed scoring threat Dougie Hamilton, the team has reportedly agreed to a deal with arguably the top defender on the free agent market, left-landed shutdown defenseman Calvin de Haan. The Raleigh News & Observer’s Luck DeCock first reported that the team has signed de Haan to a four-year, $18.2MM contract – a $4.55MM AAV. The team confirmed the deal soon after.
De Haan, 27, was No. 9 on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents List. Although he missed the majority of last season due to injury, de Haan has shown a high-end defensive ability in his pro career. The 12th overall pick in 2009 by the New York Islanders, de Haan has proven to be one of the best shot blockers in the NHL and an extremely reliable presence on the back end. Yet has has also improved his offensive production with each year, including a career-best scoring rate prior to his injury last season. While many may have balked at a $4.55MM value for de Haan in a vacuum, he is clearly superior to nearly every other defenseman in this free agent market.
Carolina is a surprise landing spot for the defensive standout though. De Haan’s arrival in Raleigh will only add to a formidable corps of rearguards that includes Hamilton, Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Trevor van Riemsdyk (an RFA), young pros Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown, and elite prospects Jake Bean, Luke Martin, and Adam Fox. De Haan’s signing very well could be a sign of more changes coming in Carolina under new ownership and new GM Don Waddell.
Minor Transactions: 4/8/18
With the Eastern Conference still undecided until today’s final regular season game, the Western Conference has no questions as the Colorado Avalanche finished off the St. Louis Blues in a 5-2 victory Saturday as they clinched the final playoff spot. The Nashville Predators got the top spot and will face the Avalanche. In other first-round matchups, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks will face the San Jose Sharks and the Minnesota Wild will face the Winnipeg Jets.
- The New York Islanders announced they have assigned forward Tanner Fritz on loan to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to help their AHL affiliate, who have four games left in their season. The 26-year-old Fritz split time between both teams, putting up three goals and seven points for the Islanders in 34 games, while scoring 10 goals and 27 assists in 33 games for Bridgeport.
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forwards John Hayden, David Kampf, Andreas Martinsen, Victor Ejdsell, Jeff Glass and Jean-Francois Berube to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL for their playoff push.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced they have assigned forwards Michael McCarron and Kerby Rychel as well as defenseman Brett Lernout to the AHL’s Laval Rocket to get some more playing time in before their season ends.
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced they will send eight players to the Rochester Americans of the AHL for their playoff run, including forwards Nicholas Baptiste, Alexander Nylander and Kevin Porter; defensemen Brendan Guhle, Casey Nelson and Matt Tennyson; and goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Adam Wilcox.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have sent four players to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL for their upcoming playoff run, according to the AHL team. The Hurricanes assigned forwards Nicolas Roy, Valentin Zykov as well as defensemen Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown. It will be a change for Fleury who spent all but one game with Carolina this season, while Zykov put up solid numbers in the NHL with seven points in 10 games.
- With the Calgary Flames season over, the team has assigned three players to the Stockton Heat of the AHL to finish out their season. The team will return defenseman Rasmus Andersson, forward Spencer Foo and goaltender Jon Gillies. Andersson played 10 games for the Flames this year, while Foo scored two goals in four games. Gillies played 11 games for Calgary, putting up a 2.88 GAA.
- The Arizona Coyotes, according to CapFriendly, have sent four players back to the Tucson Roadrunners for their playoff run, including forward Dylan Strome and defensemen Dakota Mermis, Trevor Murphy and Joel Hanley. Strome showed some success at the NHL level, putting up four goals and nine points in 21 games this season.
- The Dallas Stars have joined the fray, reassigning defenseman Dillon Heatherington and goaltender Mike McKenna to the AHL’s Texas Stars as they continue their push toward the playoffs.
Minor Transactions: 03/28/18
Tonight’s games are the first time the NHL situation room will have control over goaltender interference reviews, which will undoubtedly come up at some point in the four games on tap. If it does, we’ll get to see the first instance of what should be a more consistent decision-making process. Hopefully, all the kinks will be ironed out before the playoffs start in a few weeks.
As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league heading into tonight’s action. Check back throughout the day for more updates.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Ben Sexton back to the minor leagues, after playing just eight minutes last night for the club. The 26-year old forward made his NHL debut on Monday, but will have to wait some more for his next chance.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Andrew Hammond, as Semyon Varlamov is dealing with an illness and cannot start tonight. According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, Hammond looks like he’ll make his Colorado debut tonight in an important game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Avalanche are one point out of the playoffs after their most recent loss, though will be playing their game in hand over the Anaheim Ducks tonight.
- With the Charlotte Checkers in the midst of a playoff run, the Carolina Hurricanes have sent Warren Foegele and Roland McKeown back to the minor leagues. They could be back up next week, after showing their worth at the NHL level recently.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have activated Michal Neuvirth from injured reserve, which means the end of the run for Alex Lyon for the time being. Neuvirth hasn’t played since February 18th, and is coming back just in time to help the Philadelphia playoff run. Things aren’t locked in for the Flyers just yet, but getting healthy in net can only help.
Minor Transactions: 01/22/18
When the Vegas Golden Knights woke up this Monday morning, they found themselves all alone in first place in the entire NHL. The expansion club has 66 points on the season and show no signs of slowing down. While the playoffs were a likely afterthought in the summer months, the team now has its sights set on the Presidents’ Trophy and the top seed in the postseason. As always, any minor moves made by the Golden Knights or any club will be collected here throughout the day.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Chris DiDomenico and Erik Burgdoerfer from the minor leagues as they deal with injuries and prepare for their game tonight against Minnesota. The Senators will head to St. Louis tomorrow for the second half of a back-to-back romp through the Central Division.
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled Mirco Mueller from his AHL conditioning stint, but haven’t actually activated him from long-term injured reserve. Mueller played two games for the Binghamton Devils and was held scoreless. The Devils don’t necessarily have to activate him right away, but with their defensive corps not playing up to the standard set at the beginning of the year he could lend a helpful hand as soon as he’s healthy enough to contribute.
- After playing in his third career NHL game last night, Roland McKeown has been sent back to the AHL. The Carolina Hurricanes prospect has some impressive potential, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL squad full-time just yet. After turning 22 on Saturday, he’ll try to show they can’t keep him in the minor leagues for much longer.
- Brendan Lemieux is back up with the Winnipeg Jets, recalled today from the Manitoba Moose. Lemieux has dominated the AHL this season scoring 25 points in 27 games and even scored his first NHL goal earlier in the year. He’s another interesting piece for the Jets forward group that continues to show off its depth and versatility.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Travis Sanheim back to the minor leagues to keep him playing, recalling Mark Alt in his place. Sanheim is a big part of the Flyers future on defense, but had been sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch recently. Now he’ll get the chance to log big minutes once again for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and wait for his next opportunity in the NHL.
- The Dallas Stars have brought Jason Dickinson back up, giving him another chance in the NHL. The 29th-overall pick from 2013 has seven games with the Stars this year, but hasn’t registered a single point. In the minors though, Dickinson has 16 goals and 21 points on the year as he continues to develop as a two-way center.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Rinat Valiev from the AHL while placing Morgan Rielly on injured reserve. Valiev is likely only up as insurance for the club as Rielly nurses his injury over the All-Star break. If Valiev does get into an NHL game, it would be his first since the 2015-16 season, when he suited up ten times for the last place Maple Leafs.
- Daniel Sprong has been officially assigned to the AHL, as the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare for Bryan Rust‘s imminent return. Sprong has played in just eight games for Pittsburgh this season despite a solid rookie season in the minor leagues where he has 28 points in 29 games. Fans hoping for a full-time role for Sprong will have to wait a little longer, as he continues to learn the defensive side of the game and develop further in the minors.
Minor Transactions: 1/20/18
With the bye weeks now over with, the schedule is in full swing today with 13 games on tap. As a result, there should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day. We’ll keep tabs on those minor moves here.
- The Sharks have recalled goalie Troy Grosenick from San Jose of the AHL, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). This comes on the heels of starter Martin Jones being seen limping following their last game so it appears that Grosenick will be an insurance policy for the time being. The 28-year-old has seen limited action in the minors this season, playing in just 15 games while posting a 2.91 GAA and a save percentage of .891.
- The Blue Jackets announced via Twitter that they have recalled winger Markus Hannikainen as well as defenseman Dean Kukan from AHL Cleveland. Hannikainen has spent most of the season with Columbus but had been sent down on Thursday to get into a minor league game last night. As for Kukan, he has been up with the team on three other occasions already this season but has yet to play an NHL game in 2017-18. He is their top scoring defender in the minors though with 15 points in 31 games.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen tweeted that the Vegas Golden Knights have sent veteran defenseman Jason Garrison back to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The transaction was announced on the AHL transaction wire, according to Schoen. The 33-year-old blueliner was recalled Wednesday to fill in for injuries to defensemen Luca Sbisa and Jonathon Merrill. Many felt he was also brought up to face his old team Thursday, the Tampa Bay Lightning, but Garrison proved to be just the team’s extra defenseman in both games and was scratched both times. He was originally placed on waivers by the team on Oct. 27 after playing just four games with the Golden Knights.
- The Minnesota Wild recalled forward Joel Eriksson Ek today after the team sent the 20-year-old to the Iowa Wild to get in some playing time while the team went on their bye-week. With Minnesota slated to play the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, the youngster will return to the team’s fourth line. The 2015 first-round pick has struggled adjusting to the NHL with just one goal and five assists in 39 games so far this year.
- While talk that defenseman Brett Pesce might be close to returning soon, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled defenseman Roland McKeown from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL to hold his roster spot. The 22-year-old, 2014 second-round pick currently is tied for fifth in the AHL with a plus/minus of +22 and has three goals and 10 assists in 37 games for the Checkers. It will be his second trip to join the Hurricanes. He was recalled in early November and played in two games, garnering two assists.