Igor Shesterkin Recalled By New York Rangers
Welcome to the three-headed goalie monster known as the New York Rangers. The team has recalled top prospect Igor Shesterkin from the minor leagues, giving them three top netminders on the roster. Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev remain, and Larry Brooks of the New York Post confirms that the recall has nothing to do with any health issues.
It is important to note that Shesterkin, who signed his entry-level contract in the summer, had a European Assignment Clause and could have exercised it to return to the KHL. Given that he is seen as the future in goal for the Rangers, they obviously didn’t want that to happen, though it is not actually clear if he had threatened to use it at this time. Instead, this may simply be a situation that New York’s front office was always planning for. Lundqvist is getting closer to the end of his career, and though Georgiev has been excellent this season the team still needs to find out just how good Shesterkin can be at the NHL level.
All indicators at this time point towards his skill translating quite well. The 6’2″ netminder was a fourth-round pick in 2014 but quickly became one of the top goaltending prospects in the world. In his final three seasons in the KHL with St. Petersburg, Shesterkin recorded .937, .933 and .953 save percentages. Any doubt that he could perform like that in North America has been put to bed with a .932 save percentage through 23 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Now that Shesterkin is up in the NHL, trade rumors will begin again surrounding Georgiev, who is actually a few months younger. The undrafted goaltender has been excellent in his NHL appearances so far, posting a .913 save percentage over 63 appearances through three seasons. While his upside may not be quite as high, there are plenty of teams who could use a talented young goaltender to either serve as a backup or tandem starter. Georgiev is also a restricted free agent after this season, meaning he’ll be looking for a raise of his own. Lundqvist still has one more season on his deal at $8.5MM.
AHL 2020 All-Star Rosters Announced
Just like the NHL did recently, the AHL has now announced their All-Star rosters for the upcoming festivities. The minor league will hold their annual showcase in Ontario, California, hosted by the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliate. 33 of the players announced are AHL All-Stars for the first time, including several top prospects around the league.
The full rosters:
Atlantic Division:
Andrew Agozzino, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Sebastian Aho, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Jake Bean, Charlotte Checkers
Paul Carey, Providence Bruins
Chris Driedger, Springfield Thunderbirds
Morgan Frost, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Joey Keane, Hartford Wolf Pack
Matt Moulson, Hershey Bears (Captain)
Michael Sgarbossa, Hershey Bears
Igor Shesterkin, Hartford Wolf Pack
Jack Studnicka, Providence Bruins
Owen Tippett, Springfield Thunderbirds
North Division:
Rudolfs Balcers, Belleville Senators
Alex Barre-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch
Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators
Reid Boucher, Utica Comets
Nathan Gerbe, Cleveland Monsters
Charles Hudon, Laval Rocket
Jonas Johansson, Rochester Americans
Kasimir Kaskisuo, Toronto Marlies
Lawrence Pilut, Rochester Americans
Brogan Rafferty, Utica Comets
Rasmus Sandin, Toronto Marlies
Ben Street, Binghamton Devils
Central Division:
Alexandre Carrier, Milwaukee Admirals
Lucas Elvenes, Chicago Wolves
Matthew Ford, Grand Rapids Griffins (Captain)
Jansen Harkins, Manitoba Moose
Connor Ingram, Milwaukee Admirals
Kevin Lankinen, Rockford IceHogs
Joel L’Esperance, Texas Stars
Gerald Mayhew, Iowa Wild
Brennan Menell, Iowa Wild
Derrick Pouliot, San Antonio Rampage
Chris Terry, Grand Rapids Griffins
Yakov Trenin, Milwaukee Admirals
Pacific Division:
Joachim Blichfeld, San Jose Barracuda
Kyle Capobianco, Tucson Roadrunners
Kale Clague, Ontario Reign
Martin Frk, Ontario Reign
Glenn Gawdin, Stockton Heat
Lane Pederson, Tucson Roadrunners
Calvin Petersen, Ontario Reign
Matthew Phillips, Stockton Heat
Anthony Stolarz, San Diego Gulls
T.J. Tynan, Colorado Eagles
Chris Wideman, San Diego Gulls
Kailer Yamamoto, Bakersfield Condors
New Jersey Devils Sign Nikita Okhotyuk
The New Jersey Devils have officially added one of their top young prospects to the team. The Devils have announced the signing 2019 second-round pick Nikita Okhotyuk to his entry-level contract. It is a three-year term for the young defenseman, but financial terms have not been disclosed.
Okhotyuk, 19, is in his third season with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League. The lefty blue liner made the jump to North America in 2017 after being selected in the first round of the CHL Import Draft. A well-regarded prospect who was universally considered a second-round caliber prospect last year, Okhotyuk was considered a great value for the Devils at No. 61.
A player who excels more in the defensive aspects of the game than the offensive ones, Okhotyuk nevertheless appears to be improving in the latter. While his five assists in ten games so far in a season slowed by injuries doesn’t exactly stand out, his scoring pace is substantially higher than his previous two junior campaigns. His hard-working, physical game is a nice contrast to New Jersey’s current NHL defensemen and many of their top prospects as well, potentially putting him in good shape to push for a spot with the big league squad sooner rather than later.
Edmonton Oilers Interested In Chicago’s Brandon Saad
The Edmonton Oilers are not getting much offense from their other lines and desperately need help. Almost all of the team’s offense has come from their top line of Connor McDavid (22-41-63), Leon Draisaitl (22-39-61) and Zack Kassian (13-13-26). James Neal has chipped in 16 goals, but after that, the Oilers just don’t have the top-six players they need. However, the team is trying to rectify that by the trade deadline as Edmonton has shown interest in Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad, according to Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins.
The Oilers and Blackhawks might be a good match as Chicago is looking for defensive prospects, something that Edmonton is loaded with. The Oilers’ top two prospects are blueliners in Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg, although neither are likely to be included in a trade for Saad. However, the team has a number of secondary prospects that could interest Chicago, including William Lagesson, Caleb Jones and Dmitri Samorukov to name a few. Saad might make a good fit as well for Edmonton as he would slot onto the team’s second line and could shift Neal back to the right side, where he has been more successful. The only problems for Edmonton is Saad’s salary, which is at $6MM for the next two years. While the Oilers might be able to make Saad’s salary work for this year, next year’s salary could prove more challenging for the team.
Chicago, meanwhile, has $72.5MM invested in just 15 players next season with several significant free agents, including goaltenders Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford as well as forward Dylan Strome and defenseman Erik Gustafsson. The team might be willing to unload Saad in a cost-cutting effort for next season. Saad is currently out for three weeks due to an ankle injury, but should have been back on the ice for a month by the time the trade deadline rolls around.
Edmonton hopes that prospects might be enough to persuade Chicago to trade Saad as Edmonton general manager Ken Holland has shown an unwillingness to move draft picks, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
“I’ve been told the Oilers internally feel that they have given up way too many draft picks,” Friedman said on 630 CHED radio in Edmonton on Friday. “And as you look back in (their) last five drafts, in four of them, (they’ve) had holes in how many players they could take. So, I think two picks for (Taylor) Hall, that was one of the reasons why (they) didn’t want to do it.”
Friedman also suggests that the Oilers have expressed interest in Tyler Toffoli of the Kings, but Los Angeles would be looking for picks, which could be a stumbling block for the Oilers.
Edmonton Oilers Recall Kailer Yamamoto, William Lagesson
When the Edmonton Oilers placed Markus Granlund on waivers yesterday, it raised some questions over who would be recalled to fill his spot on the active roster. Those questions were answered today after Granlund cleared and was assigned to the minor leagues. Kailer Yamamoto, one of the team’s top prospects, will get another chance at the NHL level after being recalled today along with William Lagesson. Brandon Manning, who was also waived yesterday, has also been sent to the AHL.
The 21-year old Yamamoto has had short stints with the Oilers in each of the last two seasons, but is still looking to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. Selected 22nd overall in 2017, he has just five points in 26 games with the Oilers but has been better of late in the minor leagues. Due to injuries he has been limited to just 50 AHL contests in his short career, scoring 34 points.
While there are still high hopes for Yamamoto, the question now becomes whether he can develop into the kind of top-six option the team desperately needs to find. Edmonton has relied so heavily on their top few forwards this season and are still getting almost nothing from the rest of the roster. Zack Kassian‘s 26 points in 38 games are good for third on the team in scoring, while other names like Alex Chiasson have been extremely disappointing.
It’s not just Yamamoto that will bring some excitement to the NHL team though. Lagesson too has become an interesting prospect for the Oilers after being selected in the fourth round way back in 2014. After a year in the USHL, two at UMass and one in Sweden, it was a long road for Lagesson to join the Oilers’ organization before last season. He was worth the wait though, as he recorded 27 points in 67 games for the Bakersfield Condors, while racking up a +25 rating (the highest among defensemen).
Injury Notes: Kupari, Mantha, Blackhawks
Los Angeles Kings fans hoping to get a glimpse of the future at the World Juniors won’t get to see one of their top prospects play for Finland anymore. Rasmus Kupari has left the team after suffering an injury in the opener. John Hoven reports that Kupari suffered a serious knee injury and will likely be out “months.”
Not only is that terrible news for the Finnish team who are already missing Anton Lundell, but Kupari’s absence will adversely affect the Ontario Reign as well. In his first season in North America, Kupari has six goals and eight points in 27 games for the Reign. The 19-year old forward was selected 20th overall in 2018.
- Anthony Mantha will be out for at least four weeks with his upper-body injury, which has to do with his ribs, not his head. The Detroit Red Wings forward was injured when he got into an altercation with Jake Muzzin against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now will have to wait at least a month to continue his strong season.
- If you were wondering whether Brent Seabrook would ever really make it back to the Chicago Blackhawks blueline after being ruled out for the rest of this year, Jeremy Colliton has your answer. The head coach told reporters today including Scott Powers of The Athletic that he expects both Calvin de Haan and Seabrook to be ready for training camp in 2020. The Blackhawks icon is having several surgeries and will have a long road back to the NHL.
Mattias Norlinder Signs Extension In Sweden
The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of questions among their defense corps right now, but it seems as though some answers are coming in the way of top prospects. Alexander Romanov was a second-round pick in 2018 but looks like he’ll be coming over before long, and Mattias Norlinder has already raised his stock considerably since being selected in the third round last June.
Norlinder, 19, has been excellent this season for MODO in the Swedish second league, scoring 14 points in 28 games. He was recently named to the Swedish World Junior team alongside an elite defensive group, and teammates are convinced he’ll make the NHL one day. That won’t be next year though, as Norlinder has signed a one-year extension with MODO to continue his development in Sweden for 2020-21.
To be sure, the Canadiens will be watching his play closely as he takes on more responsibility with his club team. If MODO can win promotion to the SHL all the better, but even without that he has become a prospect to keep your eye on. With Cole Caufield set to star for Team USA at the upcoming World Junior tournament, we may even see some battles between future teammates in the coming weeks.
Anton Lundell Will Not Play In WJC
Those who wanted to get a closer look at one of the top European prospects available in the 2020 draft will be disappointed with the news that Anton Lundell will not play for Team Finland at the upcoming World Junior Championship. There was some hope that Lundell would be able to heal fast enough from his recent injury to join the team, but today saw the end of any chance he would be back to defend his gold medal.
Lundell, 18, actually assisted on the golden goal last year that Kaapo Kakko scored to secure the tournament win for Finland and was expected to be one of the best forwards on the ice this time around. The 6’1″ forward has 12 points in 20 games playing for HIFK at the highest level in Finland this season and is in consideration as a top-five selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Like many Finnish stars of recent years, Lundell has excellent puck protection skills and can shoot the puck from several different positions. Mike Morreale of NHL.com included the talented forward as his eighth-best prospect in a ranking from early October, and a strong performance at the World Juniors could have helped that stock even more. Unfortunately that won’t happen, though obviously a return to health is more important for his long-term future.
Finland lost 4-2 to Team Canada in the final pre-tournament game earlier today, and will kick things off against rival Sweden on December 26th.
Five Key Stories: 12/16/19 – 12/22/19
The days leading up to the NHL’s Holiday Roster Freeze are always full of potential for big moves by teams looking to make a change before a stretch of mandatory inactivity. This year did not disappoint, as the biggest target on the rental market was dealt, highlighting a busy week. Here are the five biggest stories of the past week:
Taylor Hall Traded To Arizona: The week started with a bang, as the Taylor Hall saga came to an end with a trade to Arizona. The Coyotes sent a 2020 first-round pick, a conditional 2021 third-round pick, and prospects Nate Schnarr, Nick Merkley and Kevin Bahl to the Devils. New Jersey retained half of Hall’s $6MM cap as well. Hall was the top name in the rental market this season, but many were left underwhelmed by the trade return. The asking price may have been affected by Hall’s reluctance to negotiate an extension in-season, which he has maintained since arriving in the desert. Nevertheless, the Coyotes’ acquisition could make them the favorite to win the Pacific Division this year as they pursue the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
Ilya Kovalchuk Leaves Kings: Veteran Ilya Kovalchuk is on the move as well, but his destination is yet to be determined. He and the Los Angeles Kings came to a mutual agreement on a contract termination on Monday, with Kovalchuk clearing unconditional waivers on Tuesday. The former superstar never fit with the Kings after returning from the KHL and could be tempted to return to Russia after this failure. However, he is reportedly willing to sign a minimum deal to remain in the NHL as he too is pursuing his first Stanley Cup, without much time left in his lengthy career.
Eric Comrie, Stefan Noesen Claimed: Three players entered the waiver wire on Wednesday and two emerged on new teams. Both goaltender Eric Comrie and forward Stefan Noesen were claimed on waivers. For Comrie, he returns to the Winnipeg Jets, the team with which he began the season, after making stops with the Arizona Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, Noesen only signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins a few weeks ago, but is already on the move to the San Jose Sharks. Austin Czarnik, the most accomplished player waived on Wednesday, but also the most expensive, was not claimed and remains with the Calgary Flames.
The Injury Bug Bites: Injuries are not exactly an uncommon occurrence in the NHL, but this week in particular took a heavy toll across the league. Just how bad was it? Here is the list of players who were announced this week as being out long-term: Josh Anderson, Danny DeKeyser, Troy Terry, Derek Grant, Andrew Peeke, Ryan Murray, Darcy Kuemper, Jason Zucker, Josh Leivo, Brandon Saad, Cal Clutterbuck, Anthony Mantha, and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Chris Snow Diagnosed With ALS: Calgary Flames Assistant General Manager Chris Snow has been diagnosed with ALS, as disclosed by his wife in a public letter. As Snow begins this difficult battle, we here at PHR wish he and his family the best this holiday season.
WJC Notes: Groulx, Thomson, Ford
Team Canada has finalized its roster for the upcoming U-20 World Junior Championship, hosted this year by the Czech Republic. The team has made one last cut, and TSN’s Mark Masters reports that it is Anaheim Ducks prospect Benoit-Olivier Groulx. Groulx, a 2018 second-round pick, has been having yet another strong season in the QMJHL and doing so on a poor Halifax Mooseheads team. The two-way pivot is likely a victim of a roster chock full of centers, with many already slated to line up on the wing. With “Bo” heading home, Masters has also shared Team Canada’s practice lines with their roster finalized, which is likely the way that they will line up to begin the tournament.
- Team Finland, looking to defend their championship performance from last year, has announced their leadership group for the WJC. Ottawa Senators 2019 first-round pick Lassi Thomson has been named captain, leading the team as their top defenseman. Thomson brings an array of experience to the squad, having played professionally in Finland this year, recording ten points in 23 games on loan with Ilves of the Liiga, as well as the junior level with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets last season. Given the Senators’ issues on the blue line, Thomson is a strong candidate to join the NHL ranks next season and his WJC performance could be telling of where he stands versus other elite prospects. Los Angeles Kings forward prospect Rasmus Kupari and Vancouver Canucks defensive prospect Toni Utunen will sere as alternates.
- Even after making a trio of cuts on Wednesday, Team USA still has a few tough decisions to make. For now, a few surprises remain on the roster, hopeful that they will get a chance to shine on the international stage. Overage prospect Parker Ford headlines that group, looking to make a name for himself after getting passed over in the NHL Draft. The Providence College freshman forward was a good if unspectacular player in the USHL, but has gotten off to a strong start in his NCAA career with 14 points in 17 games. Ford would be an intriguing name to watch for the Americans if he does in fact make the final roster. Other potential surprise inclusions on the roster include New York Islanders seventh-round defenseman Christian Krygier of Michigan State, Boston Bruins fourth-round center Curtis Hall of Yale, and Notre Dame teammates Jacob Pivonka and Trevor Janicke, late picks of the Islanders and Anaheim Ducks respectively.