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Samuel Morin

Minor Transactions: 02/25/2019

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With the trade deadline upon us, roster restrictions have now been lifted so there should be an influx of recalls today.  On top of that, there should be plenty of “paper transactions” post-deadline as teams send down and then recall players in order to preserve their AHL postseason eligibility. Only players on AHL rosters at 3pm ET are eligible to play in the league’s playoffs. While all eyes are on the deadline, today is also one of, if not the, busiest day of the season for minor transactions. Try to keep up right here:

  • The Canadiens announced the recall of winger Dale Weise from Laval (AHL). He was sent down last week to accommodate the return of Paul Byron from IR but this move was expected with the 23-man roster limit now removed.  Weise played in three games with the Rocket, scoring twice.  He will likely battle for fourth line ice time down the stretch.
  • The Devils have shuffled their forward group, announcing that they have sent wingers Joey Anderson and Brett Seney to AHL Binghamton while recalling forwards Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, and John Quenneville. Anderson has just three points in 19 NHL games this season while Seney has spent the bulk of the year in New Jersey, collecting 13 points in 50 NHL contests.  McLeod, a 2016 first-rounder, has played just once with the big club this season but sits second on Binghamton in scoring and should now get a longer look to assess his development.  Bastian has also played just once in New Jersey but leads Binghamton in goals with 17 in 56 games.  They also announced that goalie MacKenzie Blackwood has been recalled from Binghamton following the trade of Keith Kinkaid, as well as defenseman Egor Yakovlev, with Eric Gryba heading back to the AHL.
  • For the time being at least, the Senators have re-assigned defenseman Cody Goloubef, centers Logan Brown and Filip Chlapik, and winger Drake Batherson to Belleville of the AHL, per a team announcement.  The team also made forward Rudolfs Balcers and defenseman Christian Wolanin paper transactions for the inevitable reality of last-place Ottawa having an early end to their season, but Belleville continuing on to the postseason.
  • The Flyers have brought back defenseman Samuel Morin from his conditioning stint with AHL Lehigh Valley.  He has been working his way back from ACL surgery from an injury sustained in the minor league playoffs back in May and played in a pair of games with the Phantoms.  It’s likely that Morin won’t be thrown into action with Philadelphia right away but with the roster limit gone, they can have him on the active roster from here on out. The team also made defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Corban Knight paper transactions. The young Myers was the top defender for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantom prior to his recall, while Knight is an experienced AHLer who can lead a team. Their return for the postseason would be a major boost for the Phantoms.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Matt Donovan from the AHL, placing Dan Hamhuis on injured reserve. Donovan is leading all Milwaukee Admirals defensemen in scoring with 29 points through 55 games, but hasn’t played an NHL game since 2014-15.
  • Christian Dvorak has officially been recalled from his conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners, meaning he’ll be back on the ice for the Arizona Coyotes soon. The young forward has missed the entire season up to this point, but could give the Coyotes a much needed offensive boost down the stretch.
  • Matt Luff was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings today, only to be returned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign later on alongside Michael Amadio. It’s unclear if this move was intended for AHL postseason means, seeing as the Reign are in last place in the entire league and aren’t going to be heading to the postseason.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have returned goaltender Marek Mazanec and forward Zack MacEwen to the AHL’s Utica Comets, the team announced. Mazanec’s demotion is good news for the Canucks; Thatcher Demko has been cleared for action and will dress for the Canucks as the backup tonight.
  • Teddy Blueger has been reassigned to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, but could be on his way back up shortly. With Tanner Pearson shipped out of town, Pittsburgh needs another forward and Blueger has been the next man up. He should get a chance at regular minutes down the stretch.
  • Collin Delia will return to the minors upon the activation of Corey Crawford, Chicago announced. Delia has performed admirably in net during Crawford’s absence and even earned a contract extension with his play, but needs the starts available in the AHL rather than sitting behind Crawford and Cam Ward.
  • With the Toronto Maple Leafs trading away Par Lindholm today, stating their desire to open up regular NHL minutes for Trevor Moore, it is no surprise that Moore was an emergency recall by the team. Moore has been the epitome of consistency through his time with the University of Denver and AHL Marlies and now hopes to bring that same dependable production to the NHL.
  • The Arizona Coyotes made a pair of paper transactions, assigning defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and forward Conor Garland to the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners – to ensure their AHL postseason eligibility – and then called them back up.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes followed suit, making forwards Saku Maenalanen and Warren Foegele paper transactions, so that they may compete with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers if need be.
  • The Dallas Stars are without Mats Zuccarello after just one game with the trade addition. To fill his roster spot for the time being, the team has recalled Denis Gurianov from AHL Texas. Gurianov has shown flashes, but inconsistency in the pros, but now Dallas needs him to be a reliable option over the next four weeks.
  • Daniel O’Regan seemed like a likely trade candidate as a young impending free agent who has not been a fit in Buffalo. The Sabres even showcased him this past week, but to no avail. The deadline has come and gone and Regan is still a Sabre, or more accurately a Rochester American after being demoted today. Tage Thompson was a paper transaction for the club.
  • Dylan Sikura was made a paper transaction by the Chicago Blackhawks, as well. While the team would like to see what he can do in the NHL over the next month, the Blackhawks are trending away from the postseason, making Sikura’s best bet at postseason play a return to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The move today maintains his eligibility to do so.
  • The Colorado Avalanche made dependable depth forward Sheldon Dries a paper transaction, but the reassignments of fellow forwards A.J. Greer and Andrew Agozzino were not just formalities. The pair will head back to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, having presumably lost their roster spots to the healthy Colin Wilson and the acquisition of Derick Brassard.
  • Goaltender Harri Sateri, defenseman Filip Hronek, and forward Filip Zadina were all made paper transactions by the Detroit Red Wings. Sateri and Hronek are currently filling in as injury replacements and will likely return to the AHL for real in short time, but Detroit wants to see what top prospect Zadina can do in the NHL down the stretch. The Red Wings surely won’t be making the playoffs though, so they made sure the trio can all still experience a postseason run this year.
  • The Edmonton Oilers made veteran minor league forwards Brad Malone and Josh Currie paper transactions. The duo is currently helping out in the NHL, but with the Oilers’ playoff hopes all but dead, their major role the rest of the way will likely be as experienced leaders guiding the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors into the postseason.
  • Jordan Greenway, Luke Kunin, and new addition Ryan Donato were all made paper transactions today by the Minnesota Wild. The trio is very much part of the Wild’s immediate plans this season, as well as their future, but Minnesota may not make the playoffs this year and the forwards could benefit from making a run with AHL Iowa.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Devon Toews was another paper transaction. Toews has carved out a role for himself with the club, which currently leads the Metropolitan Division, but should be be available to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers come playoff time, a return to the team at a critical time would only further his development.
  • Lukas Radil was a paper transaction for the San Jose Sharks today. The Sharks are hoping to make a deep playoff run this year, but on the off chance that doesn’t materialize, the experienced forward Radil would be of benefit to the AHL Barracuda.
  • The Vancouver Canucks currently have defensemen Ashton Sautner and Guillaume Brisebois on the roster as the team battles injuries. However, to make sure the AHL’s Utica Comets were not stripped of two of their top defenders this season, Vancouver made the pair paper transactions today.
  • The Winnipeg Jets announced that they have reassigned defenseman Tucker Poolman to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose today. The move was expected after the Jets traded for not one but two defenseman today. The move also serves to ensure Poolman can play in the AHL postseason if need be. The same goes for forward Mason Appleton, who was also sent down.
  • Peter Cehlarik and Karson Kuhlman have both been returned to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, but it remains unclear if this is a paper transaction or an actual move by Boston. With the deadline passed and roster restrictions nullified, one would think that Cehlarik and Kulhman – who have both player regular minutes for the Bruins of late – would be back up. However, no such move has been made and perhaps the team simply wants to give the duo some more ice time in the minors now that their NHL roster includes several more veteran members up front.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have demoted defenseman Andy Welinski and forward Sam Steel in favor of defenseman Korbinian Holzer and goaltender Angus Redmond. The move may have something to do with AHL playoff eligibility, but more than anything it is about Redmond’s recall. The Ducks, who continue to struggle with injuries in net, will dress Redmond as their backup tonight with Ryan Miller sidelined with a lower-body injury. It is the first NHL experience for a keeper who has played almost exclusively in the ECHL as a pro.

Philadelphia Flyers Assign Samuel Morin To Conditioning Loan

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The Philadelphia Flyers are finally getting a top young defenseman back on the ice. After a hiatus that dates back to November 2017, Samuel Morin is finally getting healthy. The Flyers have announced that Morin has been assigned to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms on a conditioning loan.

Morin, 23, suffered his initial groin injury early in the 2017-18 season and missed most of the year, skating in just two games for the Flyers in a season where he was expected to push for a starting job as a a rookie. However, Morin was able to come back later in the spring and returned to action with the Phantoms. In the postseason though, Morin suffered a far more serious knee injury that required major surgery. Morin went under the knife in May and was not even able to skate until late December. However, nine months after the knee injury and 15 months since his last game with Philadelphia, Morin is finally ready for game action.

Morin was selected by the Flyers with the 11th overall pick in 2013 and was considered to have the size and skill to be a core defenseman. Morin joined Ivan Provorov, Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim, and Phil Myers as Philly’s next wave on defense that was expected to rival all blue lines across the league. However, it has not worked out that way. Provorov has developed into an elite defender, albeit in a down year, and Hagg has settled into a dependable stay-at-home role, but the Flyers are still waiting on the promise of the rest of the group, with Sanheim being the focus this season. Morin sticks out as the biggest disappointment, though. TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes that Morin has played fewer NHL games than all but one of his fellow 2013 first-rounders, due to injuries of course but also underwhelming performance. The Flyers hope that Morin’s injury history is just that and the young defenseman can move forward and take steps towards reaching his potential.

Flyers Notes: Weise, Injury Updates, Fletcher’s Roster Moves

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Earlier this week, Dale Weise cleared waivers but was not immediately assigned to the AHL.  Instead, it was reported he was staying up with the Flyers for the time being.  That appears to have changed.  Head coach Scott Gordon told reporters, including Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post, that the winger would not be accompanying the team on their road trip to Montreal and that he would be starting their bye week early.  Sportsnet’s Eric Engels adds (Twitter link) that Weise has been told to stay home and await a trade.

Considering he has now passed through unclaimed twice already this season, his trade value can’t be high.  It’s likely that the Flyers would need to retain close to the maximum 50% of his contract which carries a $2.35MM cap hit through next season and/or take a similar contract back as part of a return.  The 30-year-old is only three years removed from a 14-goal season but he has struggled since joining the Flyers back in 2016.  This season, he has just five goals and six assists in 42 games.

More news from Philadelphia:

  • A pair of Flyers goalies are making good progress in their respective injury recoveries. The team announced that Brian Elliott has resumed on-ice workouts but there isn’t a timeline yet for his return.  He has been out of the lineup since suffering a groin injury in mid-November.  Meanwhile, Michal Neuvirth is expected to resume on-ice activities sometime next week although, like Elliott, there remains no timetable for his return.  The team also updated defenseman Samuel Morin’s situation, indicating that he’s likely a month away from returning following offseason ACL surgery.
  • NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Boruk notes that there could be an early trend to follow when it comes to new GM Chuck Fletcher’s trades. Their movement thus far (which could also extend to Weise’s waiver placement) has been either to remove players that aren’t playing with much physicality or to bring someone in with some size that is more apt to playing that type of role.  Considering they soon have a decision to make on winger Wayne Simmonds, it will be interesting to see if Fletcher’s apparent desire to play a more physical style will have any kind of impact on their contract negotiations.

East Notes: Morin, Shaw, Sabres

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Though all of the turmoil that gone on in Philadelphia this season, injuries may be the least appreciated. One of those injuries that has had an effect on the team this year has been that of Samuel Morin, who underwent knee surgery in May and hasn’t been on the ice since. Today that all changed, as according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Morin got back on the ice with teammates today for the first time.

Morin, 23, was the 11th-overall pick in 2013 but has played just three NHL games so far in his career and saw his 2017-18 season decimated by injury. If he can get back this season—the team expects some time in February—there’s a good chance he would be an immediate upgrade on their blue line and could offer a stylistic counterpoint to some of the team’s more offensive options.

Andrew MacDonald Out Six Weeks After Off-Season Injury

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The regular season is a month away and training camps have not even opened up yet, but the Philadelphia Flyers have already suffered a major loss. The team announced this morning that defenseman Andrew MacDonald has suffered a lower-body injury and will be out for an estimated six weeks. MacDonald reportedly suffered the injury during a workout away from the team, according to GM Ron Hextall. 

MacDonald, 32, is in his sixth season with the Flyers and his eleventh overall. The veteran defenseman has had ups and downs in his career, but provides experience and leadership on the young Philly blue line. An alternate captain for the team and the oldest skater on the roster, MacDonald’s loss, especially at the start of the season, could be a blow to the Philadelphia locker room. With a six week window for recovery, MacDonald is sure to miss all of camp and the preseason and will likely miss the first two weeks or more of the regular season.

In his absence, the Flyers will need to lean more on their young defensive core. Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov, and Robert Hagg have established themselves as the next wave of top defenders for Philadelphia and were primed to take ice time and responsibility from MacDonald this season regardless. Now they will especially be thrust into more responsibility, as will veteran Radko Gudas. Travis Sanheim and Christian Folin will now begin the season with guaranteed starting jobs now that MacDonald is out, giving the Flyers a rounded out top six. With Samuel Morin sidelined for at least a few more months with an ACL injury, one big question now is who begins the season as the Flyers’ extra defender until MacDonald can return.

Metropolitan Notes: Johnson, Myers, Rangers

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While defensemen have been receiving big deals in the last week or two, one deal that caught many by surprise was the five-year, $16.25MM deal that Jack Johnson signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins signed on July 1. While Johnson was a highly-touted prospect at one time and developed into a solid NHL veteran, the five-year term seemed like a lot considering that the 31-year-old had lost his job at the end of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and instead took up a role as a healthy scratch for the remainder of the season and the playoffs. Johnson finished the year posting

Regardless, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford had coaches’ Mike Sullivan and Sergei Gonchar look into the three games leading up to Johnson’s benching and they walked away with a positive impression and the team signed the veteran.

The Athletic’s Jesse Marshall (subscription required) took a look at the three games before Johnson was benched and analyzes and breaks down the veteran’s play, citing that his performance was solid, but underwhelming and while the defenseman did have some bad luck at times, what stood out the most was his lack of involvement in the team’s offense as he seems to only have been focusing on his defensive game, which might be exactly what Rutherford and the Penguins want out of Johnson.

  • Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Philadelphia Flyers’ signing of Christian Folin almost guarantees that defensive prospect Philippe Myers will begin the season with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season with the Phantoms last season and was expected to get a “long look” in Flyers training camp in September. However, with six quality NHL established defenseman already on the roster (not counting the injured Samuel Morin), Myers would have to beat one of them out to make the team. General manager Ron Hextall wouldn’t allow Myers to make the team as the team’s seventh defenseman when he could return to Lehigh Valley and get valuable playing experience. So, while many were upset that the team went out and signed Folin, it’s likely that Folin will man that extra defenseman role instead.
  • The New York Rangers have been talked about as a potential third-team in any deal involving Erik Karlsson. The team has $23.7MM in cap room to work with and with the team in a quick rebuild, this would be the perfect time to add more picks or prospects to that effort. While the team might be open to acquiring Ryan Callahan from Tampa Bay, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that the team will not take on the contract of veteran Bobby Ryan, who still has four years at $7.25MM remaining on his deal. He writes that the Rangers don’t believe they will still be rebuilding in three or four years and being burdened by that deal down the road wouldn’t make any sense.

Philadelphia Flyers To Re-Sign Samuel Morin

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June 26: The Flyers have officially announced the contract, though they provided very few details. The team revealed it is a “multi-year” deal, and did not give any financial details.

June 22: GM Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers confirmed today that the team has agreed to re-sign Samuel Morin to a three-year contract. Stephen Whyno of the Associate Press reports the deal will carry an average annual value of $700K. Morin is expected to miss a good chunk of the season after a knee injury suffered in the AHL playoffs, but is now locked up for the next few years.

Morin, 22, was selected 11th overall in 2013 but still hasn’t quite turned into the dominating shutdown presence they had hoped for. The 6’6″ defenseman is still obviously in the team’s plans, but has plenty of competition from players like Travis Sanheim, Robert Hagg, Ivan Provorov, and Philippe Myers. With Shayne Gostisbehere already signed long-term and Radko Gudas still an effective option, it’s not like there is ample opportunity on the Philadelphia blue line going forward. That’s the tough part for Morin, who played just 15 games this season and is set to miss another huge chunk of development time with this latest injury.

Still, the Flyers have now locked him up almost at a risk-free cost to the organization. At worst he’s a minor league stud for the team at a cap hit that can be completely buried, and at best he forces his way onto the NHL roster and is an undervalued asset for the team moving forward. Morin will turn 23 in a few weeks, and would actually qualify for Group VI free agency in the summer of 2021 if he doesn’t get into another 77 games. That won’t be hard to do if he’s healthy, but there’s no guarantee on that at this point.

Samuel Morin Out Until February With Torn ACL

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Though it had already been reported that Philadelphia Flyers prospect Samuel Morin would be out at least six months with a knee injury, Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post is now reporting that it will be even longer than that. Morin is now expected to be out until February of 2019, essentially robbing him of most of the 2018-19 season. Morin was expected to compete for and perhaps win a full-time job with the Flyers next season, but will obviously have to wait to make his way back to the NHL.

Morin, 22, was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in 2013 but has failed to crack the lineup for more than a handful of games. The 6’6″ defenseman missed most of this season with various injuries, only to fall victim to his latest ailment after returning for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the playoffs. Obviously there is still time for him to fulfill his promise as a two-way shutdown defender, but after turning 23 this summer with only three NHL games under his belt, he’s wasted a lot of time.

The Flyers meanwhile have already said they won’t be re-signing Brandon Manning or Johnny Oduya, leaving them with several openings on the blue line for their young defense crop. Travis Sanheim, Philippe Myers and Morin were all expected to compete for playing time with the big club, of which there should be plenty. Now with Morin out of the picture the other two have even better chances of lasting in the NHL next season.

Interestingly, Morin is also a restricted free agent this summer. After missing most of this year and not making an impact yet, it’s likely the two sides agree on a very short-term deal as a sort of “prove it” contract. Morin won’t want to give up many years of control for the low salary guarantee a two-way deal comes with, while Phildelphia still doesn’t know exactly what they have with their hulking defenseman. They could be right back in the same situation next summer, after a very short 2018-19 season.

Samuel Morin To Undergo Knee Surgery

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The Philadelphia Flyers have several promising young defenseman expected to push for full-time roles on the team next season. One of them however has a long summer ahead of him just to get healthy enough to contribute. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Samuel Morin’s season is over due to a knee injury that will require surgery. Carchidi adds on Twitter that it is unknown whether Morin will be ready for training camp in September.

Morin lost nearly the entire season to injury this year, dealing with an apparent groin injury for several months. According to Carchidi, he sustained the knee in the Phantoms’ recent five-overtime marathon game against the Charlotte Checkers. That’s a tough blow for the huge defender who suited up just twice for the Flyers this season, but was still expected to compete for a role next season.

Selected 11th-overall in 2013, the 22-year old Morin is considered to have the entire package on defense and should be a capable player for the Flyers down the road. A good first pass, size and solid skating ability makes him an asset at both ends of the rink, and his nasty streak and physical play remind many of the previous generation of NHL defenders. That said, he’ll have to get healthy and show that this injury-plagued season wasn’t a trend in his career before taking over as a full-time player on Philadelphia’s blue line.

Snapshots: Kovar, Nurse, Edmundson, Morin

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Last year, Czech center Jan Kovar was one of the more intriguing international players out there but he wasn’t able to come to the NHL since he had one more year left on his KHL deal.  That has now expired and in an interview with VK’s Pavel Kadoshnikov (link in Russian), Kovar confirmed that he is leaving the KHL and is open to crossing the pond to play in North America.  His offensive numbers were down in 2017-18 (35 points in 54 games after putting up 63 in 59 contests last year) but he did play well in the Olympics and should still garner some NHL interest.  As he’s 28 years old, he falls outside the restrictions of the entry level system.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time but noted to Dhiren Mahiban of the Sporting News that he isn’t particularly worried about the situation, nor does he plan to get overly involved in the negotiations. He also indicated that he’d like to remain in Edmonton; with their salary cap situation though, there are bound to be some changes on the horizon.  Nurse led all Oilers defensemen with 26 points and sat second on the team in ice time.  As a result, he is well-positioned to land a significant raise on the $863K he received this past season.
  • After missing the opener at the World Championships on Friday, Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson is expected to officially be added to Canada’s roster and play on Sunday against Korea, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). He had been dealing with a groin injury.
  • Flyers defenseman prospect Samuel Morin is expected to play for the first time in more than three-and-a-half months, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News. He’ll be suiting up with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley as they continue their second-round series against Charlotte.  It has been a trying year for the 2013 first-rounder as recurring groin issues have hindered him all season long which certainly doesn’t help his bargaining position as he enters restricted free agency in July.

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