Pacific Notes: Redmond, Edler, Couture, Pitlick
The Ducks have joined in the NCAA signing frenzy once again, announcing the signing of goaltender Angus Redmond to a three year, entry level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 21 year old Redmond recently completed his first and only season at Michigan Tech, compiling a 22-10-5 record along with a 1.85 GAA, a .917 SV%, and four shutouts in 38 appearances. His goals against average ranked third in Division I among full-time starters while he was named WCHA Rookie of the Week on four separate occasions.
The Ducks are banking on Redmond being a late bloomer as he went undrafted after spending parts of four seasons with Salmon Arm of the BCHL.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- Canucks defenseman Alex Edler noted to TSN 1040 (audio link) that he hasn’t given any thought to how he might respond if GM Jim Benning approached him about waiving his no-trade clause. Benning has been on record suggesting that he’d be willing to move a blueliner for help up front. Between that and Vancouver’s current situation as a team that appears to be heading for a rebuild, it’s certainly plausible that the team could approach the 30 year old, the elder statesman on their back end, about his willingness to be moved sometime this offseason. Edler has two years left on his deal after this one with a cap hit of $5MM.
- The Sharks will be without center Logan Couture tonight and for at least the next two games after that as he is not with the team on their current road trip, reports CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. There remains no timetable for his return to the lineup. Couture took a puck to the mouth on Saturday against the Predators and needed a considerable amount of dental work to repair the damage. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him play with a full face shield once he gets the green light to return.
- Oilers right winger Tyler Pitlick has started skating lightly as he continues his rehab from ACL surgery, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. The injury occurred back in mid-December. Despite the fact that he’s on the ice, he’s not expected to return this season.
Tyler Pitlick Out For The Season
The Edmonton Oilers will be without right winger Tyler Pitlick for the remainder of the season as the team announced Friday that he has suffered a torn ACL. The injury occurred in the third period against St. Louis on Monday night.
Pitlick, a second round pick of the Oilers back in 2010 (31st overall), was in his first full season with the team and had been providing them with good production from the fourth line. He had eight goals (tied for fifth on the team) and three assists despite averaging just under ten minutes per game.
In his career, the 25 year old has played in 58 NHL games, scoring 11 goals while adding three assists.
At least for the time being, the injury could open up a spot for rookie Jesse Puljujarvi to play more often although he’s expected to be scratched for Taylor Beck tonight. The fourth overall pick back in June has played in just four games this month while being a healthy scratch for the other seven. The Oilers declined to loan him for the World Juniors and if this injury doesn’t result in much more action for him in the short-term, a stint in the minors might not be a bad idea. As he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, he is eligible to be loaned despite being under 20.
One other player who should see more action as a result of Pitlick’s injury is veteran Matt Hendricks who has played in just 11 games this season due to a lower body injury while being scratched frequently. It was reported earlier this month that he was on the trade block. A more regular role for him may make it a bit easier to move his $1.85MM cap hit closer to the trade deadline.
Snapshots: Gignac, Pitlick, Cammalleri, Stone
The New Jersey Devils announced (Twitter link) that they have signed 2016 third round pick (80th overall) Brandon Gignac to a three year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Gignac is off to a strong start this season with Shawinigan of the QMJHL, scoring five goals while adding 11 assists in 14 games. The 19 year old will remain with his junior team and since it’s highly unlikely that he will play in more than nine games with the Devils this season (the only way he can be brought up is via an emergency recall), his contract won’t officially kick in this season and will instead slide a year.
He’s also set to represent Team QMJHL next week in the Canada-Russia series, a primer for next month’s World Junior Hockey Championships.
Elsewhere around the league:
- In his sixth year at the professional level, Edmonton right winger Tyler Pitlick is making his case to stick around, writes Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Sun. Through 15 games this season, the 25 year old has five goals, more than he had in his previous NHL stints combined and has moved off of the fourth line. The team hasn’t given him the green light to move out of the hotel and look for a more permanent residence just yet though: “I think they just want to see if I can keep it up. A lot of guys come in here and have a good first 10 games and then it starts to drop off. I think they want to see if I can hold it consistently.”
- New Jersey left winger Mike Cammalleri will miss his second straight game tonight due to personal reasons, notes Andrew Gross of Fire and Ice. Head coach John Hynes told reporters that he’s not sure how long Cammalleri will be away from the team.
- Arizona defenseman Michael Stone is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last six games with an upper body injury, writes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. This already marks the second time this year that Stone is coming back from an injury after he missed time early on as he finished recovering from knee surgery. Stone has three assists in four games this season but as a pending UFA, it’s safe to say that this hasn’t been the start to the season that he was hoping for so far.