Minor Transactions: 12/11/19
After last night’s busy schedule in the NHL only three games are on the docket for this evening. That includes a powerhouse Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals however, perhaps a preview of a playoff matchup down the road. Boston and Washington easily lead their respective divisions with 46 and 49 points respectively, making them the best two teams in the NHL at the moment. As they and the rest of the league prepares for tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- With a date against the Ottawa Senators tonight, the Montreal Canadiens have made several transactions. Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been placed on injured reserve, while Ryan Poehling and Christian Folin have been recalled from the AHL. Folin had been on a conditioning stint but could soon make his return to the Montreal lineup. Poehling meanwhile has been on fire for the Laval Rocket and will try to establish himself full-time at the NHL level.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled David Kase from the AHL for the first time in his short professional career. The 22-year old winger had six points in 21 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but is defensively responsible and can potentially add another bottom-six option to the Flyers lineup.
- Filip Zadina has been sent back to the Grand Rapids Griffins, perhaps to get him away from the constant losing with the Detroit Red Wings. While he could be getting sent down just for the day to play tonight for the Griffins, their game is in San Diego while the Red Wings are headed home to play in Detroit tomorrow night. The team has also sent Dennis Cholowski and Dylan McIlrath to the AHL.
- Aleksi Saarela has been returned to the minor leagues by the Florida Panthers, after making his NHL debut and playing in three games total. The 22-year old prospect is still looking for his first point at the highest level, but is an intriguing player to keep an eye on in the Panthers’ system.
- After Micheal Ferland was knocked out of last night’s game with an upper-body injury, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Zack MacEwen from the AHL. MacEwen has played in seven games earlier this year with Vancouver, recording two points.
- Adam Werner is back up with the Colorado Avalanche and will backup Pavel Francouz tonight, as Philipp Grubauer isn’t quite ready. It looked like the Avalanche would get their starter back for tonight’s action against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it appears as though they’ll have to wait a little longer.
- Gerry Mayhew is back with the Minnesota Wild, who have recently seen several top players go down to injury. Michael Russo of The Athletic believes the top three centers will be Viktor Rask, Ryan Donato and Joel Eriksson Ek tomorrow night, not exactly what the Wild had in mind at the beginning of the year.
Minor Transactions: 11/13/19
Of all the talent suiting up in the NHL last night, perhaps the most unlikely star emerged in Colorado. Avalanche goaltender Adam Werner was forced into action when Pavel Francouz suffered an injury and made 40 saves en route to a shutout in his first career game. The Swedish netminder was selected in the fifth round three years ago and dominated the SHL last season.
Five more games are on the schedule tonight and as teams prepare, PHR will be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- Late last night the Montreal Canadiens decided to send Ryan Poehling back to the minor leagues, giving him a chance to get some more ice time. Poehling had been playing fewer than ten minutes a night for the Canadiens and will get a bigger opportunity with the Laval Rocket.
- The Winnipeg Jets have recalled prospect Michael Spacek from the minor leagues, giving the young forward the first NHL opportunity of his career. Selected in the fourth round in 2015, he was a standout for the Czech Republic at the World Juniors and has been a regular for the Manitoba Moose the last two seasons.
- Zack MacEwen and Tyler Graovac have both been recalled by the Vancouver Canucks, who have also reassigned Jalen Chatfield. Chatfield did not actually suit up for the Canucks on his recall; the 23-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut. The team is back in action tomorrow against the Dallas Stars.
- Jonathan Ericsson is back up with the Detroit Red Wings, at least for the time being. The team announced that the long-time defenseman, recently buried in the AHL, has been recalled, while Justin Abdelkader and Patrik Nemeth have been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to November 10th.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Ryan Poehling
The Montreal Canadiens announced they have recalled top forward prospect Ryan Poehling from the Laval Rocket of the AHL. To make room for the 2017 first-round pick, the team transferred center Jesperi Kotkaniemi to injured reserve, suggesting he may be out a bit longer.
Poehling made quite an impression on Canadiens’ fans last season after finally signing with the franchise after three years at St. Cloud State. He got into the team’s final regular season game and registered a hat trick and the shootout winner. The 20-year-old did not make the team out of training camp like many had been predicted. Instead he was assigned to Laval where he was posted three goals and five points in 13 games. This will give the young forward a chance to prove himself for the Canadiens, who have fared well with a 7-5-2 record. Poehling is expected to join the Canadiens at practice on Monday.
As for Kotkaniemi, the 19-year-old center has already missed the last two games for Montreal with a groin injury and it looks like it might be a while longer. Kotkaniemi has struggled offensively this year, scoring two goals and three points in 12 games and the 2018 third-overall pick has seen his playing time slip a little.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/01/19
Even with the season starting tomorrow, teams still have some final cuts to make today. Rosters have to be cap compliant by the end of the day. though with so much talent on waivers there might still be some last-minute moves. We’ll keep track of those right here. Keep checking back throughout the day for updates.
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
D Ilya Lyubushkin (to Tucson, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
F Remi Elie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Curtis Lazar (to Rochester, AHL)
F Scott Wilson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Nelson (to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Alan Quine (to Stockton, AHL)
F Zac Rinaldo (to Stockton, AHL)
F Dillon Dube (to Stockton, AHL)
D Andrew MacDonald (released from PTO)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
F Clark Bishop (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Julien Gauthier (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Brian Gibbons (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Gustav Forsling (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Roland McKeown (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Anton Forsberg (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Max McCormick (placed on injured/non-roster)
D Trevor van Riemsdyk (placed on injured/non-roster)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
G Collin Delia (to Rockford, AHL)
F Kirby Dach (placed on injured/non-roster)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Marko Dano (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Andrew Peeke (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Liam Foudy (placed on injured/non-roster)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
F Jayson Megna (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Connauton (to Colorado, AHL)
D Calle Rosen (to Colorado, AHL)
D Ian Cole (placed on injured/non-roster)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Jared McIsaac (to Halifax, QMJHL)
F Chase Pearson (placed on injured/non-roster)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Sam Gagner (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
F J.T. Brown (to Iowa, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (per team release)
F Ryan Poehling (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
F Miikka Salomaki (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Steven Santini (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
D Matt Tennyson (to Binghamton, AHL)
D Ty Smith (to Spokane, WHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
D John Marino (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Casey DeSmith (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)
F Nicolas Roy (to Chicago, AHL)
D Nicolas Hague (to Chicago, AHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Liam O’Brien (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
D Christian Djoos (to Hershey, AHL)
D Michal Kempny (placed on injured/non-roster)
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
D Sami Niku (to Manitoba, AHL)
Ryan Poehling, Michael McCarron Injured
The Montreal Canadiens have announced some bad news on a pair of young forwards. Ryan Poehling has suffered a concussion and will be out indefinitely, while Michael McCarron will be out six weeks with a groin injury.
It is extremely unfortunate news for Poehling, who was looking to build on his incredible debut from last season and lock down a full-time roster spot with the Canadiens. After finishing his season at St. Cloud State, Poehling signed his entry-level deal and got into one game with the Canadiens before the end of the year. The 20-year old center scored three goals in that NHL debut, making quite the impact on Montreal fans and creating excitement for his rookie season.
A concussion leaves him in question for the start of the season given the uncertain timeline that it brings, but hopefully he’ll be able to recover quickly and challenge for a spot in the lineup before long.
For McCarron, this is just another setback in what has been a frustrating career so far. Selected 25th overall in 2013, the 6’6″ forward has just 69 NHL games under his belt and has scored just eight points at that level. Even the minor leagues haven’t brought a ton of success, making it tough to see a very bright future for the former top prospect. Now 24, McCarron will have to really show some sort of improvement when he gets back from this injury in order to stay in the Canadiens plans.