Minor Transactions: 03/13/18
The entire hockey world was watching last night as the league’s top two goal scoring talents went up against each other in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy. Though Patrik Laine is quite the challenger, Alex Ovechkin showed once again why he is regarded as one of the greatest of all-time. Ovechkin scored two, including the 600th of his career, just the fourth player in history to do so in fewer than 1,000 games.
As the league sends out congratulations to Ovechkin for his impressive accomplishment, they’ll continue to try and make minor tweaks to their roster to take him down once again in the postseason. We’ll keep track of all the minor transactions right here.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Linus Ullmark from the minor leagues in time for today’s practice. Ullmark is the future in goal for the Sabres, as both Robin Lehner (RFA) and Chad Johnson (UFA) are free agents this summer. Lehner will bring quite an expensive price tag, and has struggled at times this season.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Andreas Johnsson to the NHL for the first time in his career. The young forward has been the best player on the Toronto Marlies for most of the season, and has earned a taste of the next level after the Marlies clinched a playoff spot on the weekend. Calle Rosen has also been recalled under emergency conditions, meaning the sickness Nikita Zaitsev has been suffering from could be more serious than expected.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Anthony Stolarz to their ECHL team today, which could mean that the goaltender is ready to get into some games finally. Stolarz has been ravaged by injuries for the last year, but remains an interesting option for the Flyers going forward. His 6’6″ frame and relatively good performance at the AHL level shows some potential, but he’ll have to stay healthy and prove that he’s ready for a full workload.
- Interestingly, the Tampa Bay Lightning have assigned Louis Domingue to the minor leagues now that Peter Budaj is healthy enough to play again. Domingue played well in his short stint as the backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, but will now wait in Syracuse for another opportunity.
- Ville Husso is on his way back down after backing up Jake Allen for the St. Louis Blues yesterday, meaning Carter Hutton is likely ready to return. The Blues play again on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche, in a very important game if they have any hope of making a charge at the playoffs.
- The Washington Capitals have decided that Madison Bowey is better off playing for the Hershey Bears than sitting in the press box, and have assigned the defenseman to the AHL. Bowey had been sitting out since the team acquired Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek at the deadline, and needs to get back into game action. The 22-year old looks like a big part of the future of the Washington blue line, and will likely be back up if they face any injuries down the stretch.
- Ryan Sproul is on his way up to the New York Rangers, as the team deals with an injury to Anthony DeAngelo and a setback in Kevin Shattenkirk‘s recovery. Sproul has played just four games in the NHL this season, but once again has shown his offensive ability in the minor leagues with 29 points in 49 games.
Minor Transactions: 12/13/17
The transaction freeze is coming quickly in the NHL, as all 31 teams will lock down their rosters between December 19-27th. That means they have just a few days left to make any trades or waiver assignments they need, leading to daily intrigue around the league. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves of the day right here.
- The St. Louis Blues have swapped backup goaltenders, sending Ville Husso back to San Antonio while calling up Jordan Binnington from the Providence Bruins. The Blues of course don’t have a primary affiliate this season, which explains why their prospects are scattered throughout the league. Husso had been up to fill in for the injured Carter Hutton, but needs playing time of his own to continue his development. Enter Binnington, who can backup Jake Allen for the time being.
- The Nashville Predators have sent Frederick Gaudreau back to the AHL according to Adam Vingan of the Tenessean meaning that Scott Hartnell or Ryan Johansen are likely back tonight. Gaudreau has three points in 17 games this season.
- Ville Pokka has been recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks while Cody Franson is moved to injured reserve. The Blackhawks have been waiting for Pokka to make his mark in the NHL since acquiring him in 2014, but he’s continued to struggle with defensive miscues throughout his career. If he does get into the lineup, it would be his NHL debut and a chance to prove that his offensive value can overcome any lapses in his own end.
- Ben Harpur has been sent back to the AHL by the Ottawa Senators, though it’s not clear why yet. Head coach Guy Boucher recently said that Mark Borowiecki wasn’t close enough to return yet, and Chris Wideman is still out long-term. Harpur’s assignment leaves the Senators with just six healthy defensmen on the active roster, meaning another move is likely to follow. In the meantime the team has called up forward Nick Paul, bringing him back after his latest stint in the AHL. Paul, a 22-year old winger, has played four games with the Senators this season but has been held scoreless.
- Arizona has recalled Joel Hanley from the AHL, bringing the 26-year old back for the third time this year. Hanley has played four games for the club this year, and is eligible to be brought up and down as he cleared waivers just a week ago. The team had sent Kyle Capobianco back to the minor leagues to keep him in game action, but needed another defenseman with Niklas Hjalmarsson still not ready to return.
- The New Jersey Devils have brought Nick Lappin up from the AHL to replace Marcus Johansson, who ends up on injured reserve for the second time this year. Lappin had been tearing up the minor leagues with 12 goals in 23 games, continuing his pattern of finding the back of the net with ease. Johansson is out with an ankle bruise suffered on Saturday.
- Duncan Siemens has been reassigned to the San Antonio Rampage, as the Colorado Avalanche continue to try and spark something in the first-round pick. Siemens was selected 11th-overall in 2011, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL for any length of time. In five career games, he has zero points.
Carter Hutton Injured, Blues Employ Emergency Backup
As is the case a few times each season, the St. Louis Blues were forced to bring in an inexperienced amateur as their backup goalie for their game tonight against the Dallas Stars. The team announced that regular understudy Carter Hutton had been injured earlier today in the morning skate, suffering a lower-body condition that was serious enough that he could not dress behind Jake Allen tonight. Although they were quick to recall Ville Husso from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage on an emergency basis, sending rookie winger Sammy Blais down in the process, the 7:00 PM flight out of south Texas was not going to be in time for puck drop of tonight’s game.
So, the Blues have turned to local goalie Tyler Stewart. Stewart signed an amateur tryout agreement with the team and took part in warm-ups tonight. The plan was for Stewart to to serve as the backup until Husso arrived from San Antonio, but even that brief experience has to be the thrill of a lifetime for the St. Louis native. Stewart was the starting goalie for St. Louis University’s ACHA Division II squad for three seasons, but never came close to having pro prospects. A chance to wear the colors of his hometown team is quite the event.
Should Hutton miss substantial time, Husso may not be the best option to backup Allen long-term. The 22-year-old has yet to see any NHL action, but did spend time in the ECHL last year, plus his AHL numbers this season have been less than spectacular. Husso was the quickest recall for the Blues, but Jordan Binnington, currently on loan to the Providence Bruins out on the east coast, is likely to be called upon as the backup instead. Binnington boasts an impeccable 1.83 GAA and .930 save percentage this season in Providence and made his NHL debut last season.
Minor Transactions: 11/03/17
Twelve games on the slate last night in the NHL, and we had some wild ones. The Blue Jackets show why they’re in the elite of the east, Los Angeles gives Toronto a wake-up call, and the Flyers stun one of the league’s best teams with a 2-0 shutout. Today, several moves should be expected as teams prepare for their next test. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The St. Louis Blues have assigned Ville Husso to the San Antonio Rampage, after coming up on emergency loan. Carter Hutton had been away from the team awaiting the birth of his first child, and likely will be back for tomorrow’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Husso is one of the Blues’ top goaltending prospects, but he’ll have to return to the Rampage who aren’t yet under St. Louis control. The Blues don’t have a primary affiliate this season, but will begin a partnership with the Rampage next year.
- Denis Malgin is on his way back to the AHL after suiting up in five games for the Florida Panthers. Malgin played just 11 minutes last night in the team’s loss and is still looking for his first point of the season. His assignment once again points to the idea that Owen Tippett might stay in Florida past the ten game threshold, as the team is now carrying just 13 forwards.
- That’s not the only move Florida has made, as Chase Balisy is also headed for the AHL. Balisy made his NHL debut earlier this year, and got into three games for the Panthers before the reassignment. Florida is down to 12 forwards, which not only means good things for Tippett, but also likely means Jared McCann is indeed ready to return.
- As expected, the Montreal Canadiens have recalled Charlie Lindgren from Laval to fill in for Carey Price this weekend. Price is out with a lower-body injury, and will relinquish the net to Al Montoya for Saturday’s matchup. Lindgren will likely back him up.
- The Senators have announced the recall of defenseman Ben Harpur from Belleville of the AHL. He’s likely insurance for Mark Borowiecki, who has missed the last two games due to illness. Harpur has played in one game with Ottawa this season as well as three at the minor league level.
West Notes: Sikura, Garrison, Husso, Jagr
The Blackhawks are expected to offer prospect winger Dylan Sikura a spot in their lineup as soon as his college season ends, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). Sikura, who was recently named to Canada’s entry at the upcoming Karjala Cup, a tournament that they’re using as an evaluation for the Olympics in February. He currently sits second in NCAA scoring with six goals and eight assists through six games.
Chicago is no stranger to offering the chance to play right away and burn the first year of an entry-level deal; they most recently went that route last year with John Hayden. This is the one real bargaining chip that they have to play as if Sikura (a sixth-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2014) were to wait until August 15th and then become an unrestricted free agent, he’d have no shortage of interest around the league.
Elsewhere in the West:
- Golden Knights defenseman Jason Garrison has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link). That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise with his $4.6MM cap hit. It will be interesting to see if there is any trade interest in him where Vegas could retain part of his contract to facilitate a move or take a notable contract back in return. It’s worth noting that the first-year team has already used one of its three retention slots from their trade of Alexei Emelin back in July. In the meantime, they have assigned him to Chicago of the AHL, per the AHL’s Transactions page.
- The Blues announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Ville Husso from San Antonio of the AHL. The move isn’t as a result of injury but rather a contingency plan if backup Carter Hutton is unavailable for tonight’s game against Columbus with his wife expecting to give birth shortly. Husso, a fourth-rounder of St. Louis back in 2014, has yet to play in the NHL but is off to a good start in the minors this season with a .927 save percentage in his first three starts.
- Flames winger Jaromir Jagr is expected to be activated off injured reserve on Sunday, reports Postmedia’s Eric Francis. The 45-year-old suffered a lower-body injury last weekend and if he is activated for tomorrow, he will wind up only missing the minimum one week. It’s likely that center Mark Jankowski, their lone waiver-exempt forward that is also AHL eligible, will be sent back down to open up a roster spot for Jagr.
Evening Notes: Husso, Flyers, Fabbri
While Ville Husso’s performance in goal last night caught a lot of people’s attention, the St. Louis Blues are not expected to keep him on their roster for this year. The 22-year-old netminder made 27 saves Friday against a veteran Washington Capitals team in the Blues’ 4-0 preseason win. It was his second appearance this preseason and he has yet to allow a goal in four periods of action.
While he was always considered to be a top prospect, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required), Husso is establishing himself as the team’s top young goaltending prospect. Rutherford writes that Husso has shown maturity and is handling his time up with the Blues with no nervousness or anxiety and has proven to be ready for a chance to soon play with his NHL club.
Husso did well, but had a tough time last season. Having come over from Finland last year, the former fourth-round pick in 2014, was one of three goalies assigned to the Chicago Wolves and struggled to find ice time. He was then demoted to the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL, but didn’t give up, eventually getting promoted back to Chicago and finished the season having played in 22 games. He played well and had a 2.37 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
While the Blues already have 27-year-old Jake Allen in goal for the near and likely long-term future, St. Louis might have to reassess their thoughts about him in goal and if all goes well, Husso might have a chance to snare the backup job next year if the team doesn’t re-sign Carter Hutton.
- With the most recent cuts, the Philadelphia Flyers are almost a complete team, according to Sam Carchidi of Philly.com. The team has just 26 players remaining in camp and plan to keep 23, but that had been the team’s plan all along. “We have four [exhibition] games left, and our big guys have to play,” general manager Ron Hextall said after the camp session Saturday in Voorhees. “We’re getting ready for the season now and there are still players in the mix, but you get down as quick as you can and go from there.” One decision the team must make is to choose from three defensemen for the final two spots, including Sam Morin, Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim, although Hextall said they wouldn’t rule out keeping all three and cutting a veteran.
- Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the St. Louis Blues are happy with the progress of youngster Robby Fabbri, who played in his first exhibition game since tearing ligaments in his knee on Feb. 4. Despite the fact the Blues want to switch him to center this year, he played at the wing position yesterday to keep things simple. While he didn’t score any points, the belief is that he skated well and ready for more challenges, which will still include a possible position change.