Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett Day-To-Day With Upper Body Injury
Florida Panthers reporter Jameson Olive tweets that forward Sam Bennett is out of the lineup Saturday night against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury. His status is day-to-day.
In his place, Zac Dalpe, who was recalled today from the Charlotte Checkers, will make his Panthers debut. As corresponding roster moves, Anton Lundell and Joe Thornton have been placed on injured reserve, per the team.
Bennett has flourished after being dealt to the Panthers at the trade deadline last season. Centering the Panthers’ second line between Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett, Bennett has four goals and three assists in seven games for the undefeated Panthers this year. Combined with his incredible finish to last season, he has 22 points through his first 18 games as a Panther.
If this injury bug persists for Florida, they’ve already built up a five-point cushion on first place in the Atlantic Division. Undefeated through eight games, they’ll rely on their solid forward depth now to keep them at the top of the league.
Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Zac Dalpe
Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito is bringing in another player that he is very familiar with, signing Zac Dalpe to a two-year, two-way contract. The 31-year-old forward was an unrestricted free agent.
When Zito was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, severing as GM of the AHL affiliate, Dalpe was his star. The minor league forward recorded 55 points in 55 games during the 2018-19 season with Cleveland, earning a place at the AHL All-Star Game. The next season, he returned as captain of the team under Zito’s management and added another 11 points in 18 games.
This season, after Zito moved on to Florida, Dalpe was still captain of the Monsters, but bounced back and forth between the AHL, NHL and taxi squad all season. He ended up playing more for Columbus than Cleveland, suiting up 12 times in the NHL and recording three points. Joining the Panthers organization now, Dalpe will likely serve as that same injury replacement at the NHL level but help the Charlotte Checkers tremendously as a leader and veteran forward. The two-year deal gives him some career stability, something that minor league veterans rarely find.
Nominees Announced For 2021 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2021.
Past winners of the award include Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014), and Josh Harding (2013).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – David Backes
Arizona Coyotes – Phil Kessel
Boston Bruins – Kevan Miller
Buffalo Sabres – Dustin Tokarski
Calgary Flames – Milan Lucic
Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Staal
Chicago Blackhawks – Andrew Shaw
Colorado Avalanche – Valeri Nichushkin
Columbus Blue Jackets – Zac Dalpe
Dallas Stars – Roope Hintz
Detroit Red Wings – Danny DeKeyser
Edmonton Oilers – Mike Smith
Florida Panthers – Chris Driedger
Los Angeles Kings – Matt Roy
Minnesota Wild – Matt Dumba
Montreal Canadiens – Corey Perry
Nashville Predators – Pekka Rinne
New Jersey Devils – Scott Wedgewood
New York Islanders – Casey Cizikas
New York Rangers – Colin Blackwell
Ottawa Senators – Nick Paul
Philadelphia Flyers – Oskar Lindblom
Pittsburgh Penguins – Casey DeSmith
San Jose Sharks – Patrick Marleau
St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko
Tampa Bay Lightning – Steven Stamkos
Toronto Maple Leafs – Jack Campbell
Vancouver Canucks – Tyler Motte
Vegas Golden Knights – Marc-Andre Fleury
Washington Capitals – Zdeno Chara
Winnipeg Jets – Eric Comrie
Three finalists and the winner will be named at a later date.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/23/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
F Alex Dostie (to San Diego, AHL)
F Brent Gates Jr. (to San Diego, AHL)
F Luke Gazdic (to San Diego, AHL)
F Johno May (to San Diego, AHL)
F Antoine Morand (to San Diego, AHL)
F Conor Riley (to San Diego, AHL)
F Deven Sideroff (to San Diego, AHL)
F Corey Tropp (to San Diego, AHL)
D Dawson Davidson (to San Diego, AHL)
D Scott Moldenhauer (to San Diego, AHL)
D Steven Ruggiero (to San Diego, AHL)
G Roman Durny (to San Diego, AHL)
G Olle Eriksson Ek (to San Diego, AHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Saskatoon, WHL)
D Matthew Hill (to Barrie, OHL)
G Lukas Dostal (to Ilves, Liiga)
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Beau Bennett (to Tucson, AHL)
F Andy Miele (to Tucson, AHL)
D Dysin Mayo (to Tucson, AHL)
D Robbie Russo (to Tucson, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Byron Froese (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Justin Kirkland (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Buddy Robinson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Rinat Valiev (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Andrew Nielsen (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Glenn Gawdin (to Stockton, AHL)
F Ryan Lomberg (to Stockton, AHL)
F Luke Philp (to Stockton, AHL)
F Matthew Phillips (to Stockton, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Stockton, AHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Stockton, AHL)
F Eetu Tuulola (to Stockton, AHL)
D Robert Hamilton (to Stockton, AHL)
D Zac Leslie (to Stockton, AHL)
D Corey Schueneman (to Stockton, AHL)
D Alexander Yelesin (to Stockton, AHL)
G Tyler Parsons (to Stockton, AHL)
G Artyom Zagidulin (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jacob Pelletier (to Moncton, QMJHL)
D Alexandre Grenier (released from PTO)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
F Jacob Nilsson (to Rockford, AHL)
F Philip Holm (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Zac Dalpe (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Markus Hannikainen (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Ryan MacInnis (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Adam Clendening (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Doyle Somerby (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Veini Vevilainen (to Cleveland, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
D Ethan Prow (to Springfield, AHL)
D Thomas Schemitsch (to Springfield, AHL)
G Philippe Desrosiers (to Springfield, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
F Colin Blackwell (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Anthony Richard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Alexandre Carrier (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Matt Donovan (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Troy Grosenick (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Connor Brickley (to Hartford, AHL)
F Timothy Gettinger (to Hartford, AHL)
F Nick Jones (to Hartford, AHL)
F Dawson Leedahl (to Hartford, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Hartford, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
F Andrew Agozzino (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Joseph Blandisi (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Joseph Cramarossa (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Thomas Di Pauli (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Ryan Haggerty (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Kevin Czuczman (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D David Warsofsky (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Justin Almeida (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Anthony Angello (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Kasper Bjorkqvist (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Sam Lafferty (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jake Lucchini (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Sam Miletic (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Oula Palve (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Niclas Almari (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Emil Larmi (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
F Joakim Blichfield (to San Jose, AHL)
F Ivan Chekhovich (to San Jose, AHL)
F Sasha Chmelevski (to San Jose, AHL)
D Nick DeSimone (to San Jose, AHL)
F Noah Gregor (to San Jose, AHL)
D Thomas Gregoire (to San Jose, AHL)
F Artem Ivanyuzhenkov (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joel Kellman (to San Jose, AHL)
D Nikolai Knyzhov (to San Jose, AHL)
G Joseph Korenar (to San Jose, AHL)
F Ivan Kosorenkov (to San Jose, AHL)
F Tristan Langan (to San Jose, AHL)
F Maxim Letunov (to San Jose, AHL)
D Keaton Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jeremy Roy (to San Jose, AHL)
G Zach Sawchenko (to San Jose, AHL)
G Andrew Shortridge (to San Jose, AHL)
F Marcus Vela (to San Jose, AHL)san
F Jeffrey Viel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Evan Weinger (to San Jose, AHL)
F Vladislav Kotkov (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
D Tony Sund (to TPS, Liiga)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Reid Boucher (to Utica, AHL)
F Francis Perron (to Utica, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Utica, AHL)
G Zane McIntyre (to Utica, AHL)
Minor Transactions: 04/17/19
The NHL playoffs are over for both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins, meaning they’ll have to wait until next season to enact any revenge. The Lightning experienced arguably the worst collapse in history when they were swept out of the first round after recording a historic 62-win season, while Sidney Crosby and the Penguins weren’t able to call on any postseason magic to overcome Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders. As teams are eliminated there will be minor moves made to clean up rosters, and we’ll be here to keep track of all of them.
- The Lightning have sent Cameron Gaunce back to the AHL to help the Syracuse Crunch, a notable move for the minor league club. Gaunce recorded 46 points in 59 games with the Crunch this season and will return to run a powerplay in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Crunch start their first-round series against the Belleville Senators on Friday evening.
- Zac Dalpe is similarly on his way down to the AHL, but it’s not clear if he’ll stay there for very long. The 29-year old forward will help the Cleveland Monsters in their upcoming playoff series—also starting on Friday evening—but could potentially come back up to help the Blue Jackets in the second round.
- Like the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets this morning, the Calgary Flames have recalled their “Black Aces” for the remainder of the playoffs. Spencer Foo, Ryan Lomberg, Glenn Gawdin, Tyler Graovac, Matthew Phillips, Buddy Robinson, Curtis Lazar, Marcus Hogstrom, Rinat Valiev and Tyler Parsons are all heading up to the big club to skate in practices and get a glimpse of the NHL playoffs.
Minor Transactions: 04/15/19
The NHL playoffs have brought excitement, surprise and wonder through the first few days of the postseason. The Tampa Bay Lightning have fallen to the brink of a historic collapse, while the New York Islanders are close to eliminating a division rival with little trouble. Tonight will see four series get back underway including three that are tied, and should provide plenty of memorable moments. As teams prepare, we’ll keep track of the minor moves.
- Zac Dalpe has been recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets, who haven’t needed a lot of help through the first three games. Dalpe finished his AHL season on the weekend with 33 goals in 55 games and could serve as an additional offensive piece for the Blue Jackets tomorrow night. The Cleveland Monsters, who rely heavily on Dalpe’s presence in the AHL, don’t start their playoff series until Friday—notably against the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of Tampa Bay.
- Eric Comrie has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets, giving the team a third goaltender as they prepare for their next game against the St. Louis Blues. Comrie’s Manitoba Moose failed to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs this season meaning he can join the NHL club as an extra body for their postseason run.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Zac Dalpe To Two-Year Extension
The Columbus Blue Jackets have locked up one of their depth forwards, inking Zac Dalpe to a two-year, two-way extension. The deal will keep Dalpe in the Blue Jackets organization through the 2020-21 season. The 29-year old forward was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this season.
Dalpe has become a veteran leader for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters since coming over from the Minnesota Wild organization in 2017, and has 33 points in 35 games for the minor league squad this season. He’s also been frequently used as injury insurance for the Blue Jackets, who routinely call him up to give them some more center depth on the roster. Unfortunately that insurance policy hasn’t been cashed very often, and Dalpe has played just 13 games for the Blue Jackets so far.
It’s unlikely that Dalpe will play a much bigger role on Columbus going forward, but it does secure one of the Monsters’ top players for at least two more years. The veteran will need to go through waivers before each season however, a process that was responsible for his journey to Columbus in the first place.
Twenty Players Placed On Waivers
It’s after noon Eastern and that means another round of players has officially been placed on waivers. This is day four that the NHL waiver wire has been open and so far 67 players have been exposed and just one – now Tampa Bay Lightning forward Danick Martel, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers – has been claimed. Another 20 names have hit the wire today, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie:
F Steve Bernier (NY Islanders)
F Reid Boucher (Vancouver)
F Paul Carey (Ottawa)
D Tommy Cross (Columbus)
F Zac Dalpe (Columbus)
F Tanner Fritz (NY Islanders)
F Nathan Gerbe (Columbus)
G Christopher Gibson (NY Islanders)
D Kevin Gravel (Edmonton)
D Seth Helgeson (NY Islanders)
D Keegan Lowe (Edmonton)
F Brad Malone (Edmonton)
D Jaycob Megna (Anaheim)
D Dakota Mermis (Arizona)
F Julius Nattinen (Anaheim) – unconditional
F Jim O’Brien (Ottawa)
D Ethan Prow (Pittsburgh)
D Ashton Sautner (Vancouver)
D Dillon Simpson (Columbus)
F Mike Sislo (NY Islanders)
The list today is largely devoid of any flashy names likely to draw a claim. The majority of these players are veterans of the waivers process, having cleared several times in the past. It is curious how many are recent free agent additions, including Carey in Ottawa and Gravel in Edmonton, each of whom were one of their team’s biggest off-season signings. Cross and Simpson are also new arrivals in Columbus who were expected to compete for depth roles on the blue line.
Young defensemen Sautner and Mermis are perhaps the two most intriguing names up for grabs. Both made their NHL debuts last season amid strong AHL campaigns. Carey, while a known commodity, may have the best chance of being claimed. The 30-year-old played in 60 games for the New York Rangers last year and has been a reliable checking forward during his career. However, 30 other teams had a chance to sign Carey this off-season and passed up the opportunity, so they won’t all be clamoring for his services now. Boucher has been through the waivers ringer before, but don’t expect another go-round for a forward who has the ability, but can’t seem to put it all together.
Edmonton’s dismissal of Gravel and Lowe could indicate that first-round pick Evan Bouchard and/or young puck-mover Ethan Bear are in line for a job with the Oilers. Gravel in particular was penciled in as the extra defenseman for the team, so his relatively early cut from camp is not without some significance. Gravel is just one year removed from starting 49 games for the Los Angeles Kings.
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that Ducks prospect center Nattinen has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination. No other details are currently available. Nattinen, 21, was a second-round pick not long ago in 2015 and was entering his second pro season. He recorded 12 points in 55 games last season for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
Minor Transactions: 02/19/18
One week remains until the NHL trade deadline, and an injury now could totally change a team’s plans. As a few sellers decide just how low of a price they’re willing to give away their assets for, buyers are clamoring for more production at a reasonable cost. Like always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The New York Islanders have placed Thomas Greiss on injured reserve, making Christopher Gibson an emergency call-up. Greiss’ injury isn’t expected to be long-term, but will still hurt the Islanders chances. New York is fighting for their lives in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and Greiss had recently started to see his game improve. Now they’ll have to rely on Jaroslav Halak for the time being, unless a trade is in the works to bring another goaltender in.
- The Montreal Canadiens have assigned Nikita Scherbak to the minor leagues as they start to get healthy. Phillip Danault and Andrew Shaw are both expected back soon, and the team needed a roster spot. With rosters expanding after the trade deadline, you can bet Scherbak will be back up with Montreal before long.
- Dean Kukan has been put on injured reserve, and will miss at least week according to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who recalled Zac Dalpe and Ryan Murray today. Murray has been injured for some time, and just completed a short conditioning stint in the minor leagues where he scored in his only game. He could represent a big trade deadline boost for the Blue Jackets, or make a potential Jack Johnson trade possible.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Linus Ullmark from the AHL, while Robin Lehner deals with a minor injury. Ullmark has had an excellent season with the Rochester Americans, posting a .924 save percentage through his 18-9-4 record. The 24-year old goaltender looks ready to take the next step to the NHL full-time next season.
- Carolina has sent Lucas Wallmark back to the AHL, where he has been a top offensive performer this year. The 22-year old has now played five games for the Hurricanes this year, scoring his first NHL goal but being held off the scoresheet otherwise. Carolina is off until Friday, when Wallmark could be recalled.
- Teddy Blueger didn’t get into a game for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and will now have to wait for another opportunity. The 23-year old forward has been sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he has 26 points in 45 games.
- While the Flyers have been decimated by injuries in goal lately, they did get some good news as Anthony Stolarz was given the green light to be activated off season-opening injured reserve. Accordingly, the team has assigned him to Lehigh Valley of the AHL. Philadelphia has also recalled winger Oskar Lindblom from the Phantoms and he could make his NHL debut tomorrow night against Montreal.
Minor Transactions: 01/30/18
The unofficial second half of the 2017-18 season is underway tonight, with 12 teams in action after the All-Star break. One of the most interesting matchups might by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets, both currently leading their division but dealing with troublesome injuries. The Lightning are without Victor Hedman, while the Jets are missing both Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba. As the dozen teams get ready to resume their schedule, we’ll keep track of all the minor transactions around the league.
- Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Danny O’Regan is on his way back to the San Jose Sharks. The 24-year old forward has four points in ten games with the Sharks this season, and has been an excellent performer in the minor leagues since leaving the collegiate ranks. With Joe Thornton out long term, the Sharks have to find offense from unpredictable places, something that O’Regan might help with. The team has also sent Troy Grosenick to the minor leagues.
- With Brian Elliott heading to injured reserve, the Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Alex the AHL. Lyon is still awaiting his first opportunity to get into a game at the NHL level, but has recorded a .910 save percentage in the minor leagues this season.
- Brandon Dubinsky has been activated from injured reserve, and the Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Zac Dalpe to the minor leagues to make room. Dubinsky hasn’t played since December 12th when he suffered a fractured orbital bone at the hands of Zack Kassian, and recently left the team in order to deal with personal medical issues (though there was also a report of discipline from the team). He’ll rejoin the club today against the Minnesota Wild.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Peter Holland and Anthony DeAngelo, but have left Vinni Lettieri in the minor leagues for now. It seems as though for now the team is willing to go with Cody McLeod as one of the depth forwards, despite Lettieri’s more noted offensive upside.