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Minor Transactions: 12/19/19

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The NHL has ten games on the schedule for this evening after a quiet Wednesday night, including a preview of a potential Eastern Conference playoff matchup between the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. The Bruins are running away with the Atlantic Division, but the same can’t be said for the Islanders in the Metropolitan where second and fifth place are separated by just five points. As they and other teams prepare for the busy night, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Adam Brooks and Martin Marincin once again, this time not under emergency conditions. That means they can stay even when Trevor Moore returns from injury, though it is not clear if he will be ready for this weekend after suffering a minor setback.
  • Mathieu Joseph has been assigned to the minor leagues by the Tampa Bay Lightning in a somewhat surprising move, after the 22-year old played in 31 games already this season. Joseph hasn’t been nearly as effective as he was last year, but still has a bright future in Tampa Bay.
  • After claiming Stefan Noesen on waivers, the San Jose Sharks have made several other roster moves. Joel Kellman, Noah Gregor and Jacob Middleton have all been recalled from the AHL, while Radim Simek now finds himself on injured reserve again.

Minor Transactions: 12/18/19

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Taylor Hall’s debut with the Arizona Coyotes went according to plan as the star winger set up Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the game-winner, but it wasn’t so easy for several other Western Conference hopefuls last night. Not only were the Winnipeg Jets defeated easily by the Carolina Hurricanes, but Andrei Svechnikov scored his second lacrosse-style goal of the season to rub it in. As six teams prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Ottawa Senators have sent Maxime Lajoie to the minor leagues as they get ready for their game tomorrow against the Nashville Predators. Who needs depth defensemen anyway when you have Thomas Chabot playing more than 37 minutes a night?
  • Kole Sherwood has been activated from injured reserve by the Columbus Blue Jackets and sent to the minor leagues. The 22-year old suffered an oblique tear earlier in the year but is approaching a return to action.
  • Robbie Russo has been returned to the AHL by the Coyotes, with Jordan Gross replacing him on the roster. Gross, 24, has 15 points in 26 games with the Tucson Roadrunners this season and has never been recalled previously.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent all three emergency call-ups, Adam Brooks, Timothy Liljegren and Martin Marincin to the minor leagues. Brooks and Liljegren are both waiting to make their NHL debuts, but will have to patiently bide their time in the AHL.
  • Noah Gregor has been sent to the AHL by the San Jose Sharks after spending the last month in the NHL. The 22-year old has played in 18 games, scoring his first career NHL goal at the end of November. Also headed to the Barracuda are Dylan Gambrell and Jacob Middleton. The move leaves the Sharks with just 20 active skaters, as they both looked to save some cap space and get their young players some extra minutes in the AHL.
  • The back-and-forth continues for Gerald Mayhew, who today was reassigned to the minors by Minnesota, the Iowa Wild announced. Mayhew’s 14 AHL goals lead the team and are tied for third in the league even though he has spent considerable time in the NHL as well.
  • Veteran enforcer Zac Rinaldo is on his way to the AHL’s Stockton Heat, the team announced, after he was demoted today by the Calgary Flames. Rinaldo has actually carried his weight offensively in the minors so far this season, recording seven points in 14 games, not to mention three points in five games with Calgary as well.
  • The Boston Bruins have activated winger Zachary Senyshyn from the injured reserve and have sent him down to AHL Providence. Senyshyn continues to be an enigmatic player for the Bruins, playing well in the NHL but disappointing in the AHL. Right now there is no room for him in Boston, though.
  • With Mathieu Perreault and Andrew Copp both hitting the injured reserve, the Winnipeg Jets have called up reinforcements in the form of Mason Appleton and Jansen Harkins. While Appleton is the  frequent member of the Jets, playing in nine games with the team this year, Jansen may have the higher upside of the two. Harkins’ 24 assists lead the AHL while his 31 points are best on the team and third in the AHL. Harkins was even named the AHL Player of the Month for November. The 22-year-old is more than deserving of making his NHL debut.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have promoted two of their top young forwards, announcing that Isac Lundestrom and Max Jones have re-joined the team. The pair of first-round picks are not having huge years at either level, but still present tremendous NHL upside.

Minor Transactions: 12/17/19

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Eleven games on the schedule for this evening make this a busy and important night in the NHL. One of those games will feature the Arizona Coyotes with their newest star Taylor Hall take on the San Jose Sharks. As they and others prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Mitchell Stephens from the minor leagues as they deal with a minor injury to Nikita Kucherov. Stephens made his NHL debut this season and has played in four games for the Lightning.
  • The New Jersey Devils have sent Evan Cormier back to the minor leagues, bringing up Gilles Senn in his place. Senn, 23, is in his first season in North America after signing out of Switzerland and currently carries an .896 save percentage through 13 AHL games. Neither Cormier nor Senn have made an appearance at the NHL level.
  • Brian Lashoff has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings, as they place Jonathan Ericsson on injured reserve. The team also placed Jimmy Howard on long-term injured reserve in order to send him on a conditioning stint to the AHL. Howard, injured last month against the Toronto Maple Leafs, is getting closer to a return and will get in some game action in the minors.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have swapped Carsen Twarynski and Andy Andreoff, with the latter coming up to the NHL. Twarynski has played in 15 games with the Flyers this season but will have to spend some more time in the minor leagues.
  • Though Trevor Moore was originally expected to return for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, he suffered a slight setback after being bumped in practice. Instead, the Maple Leafs have recalled Adam Brooks from the minor leagues under emergency conditions to serve as some insurance for the forward group.
  • Similarly, Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes under emergency conditions to fill in for Antti Raanta, who is sick. Hill will backup Darcy Kuemper tonight, but likely won’t see any action on this recall.
  • The San Jose Sharks have sent Joachim Blichfeld back to the minor leagues, recalling Jacob Middleton in the process. Blichfeld played in two games with the Sharks but didn’t score, and will have to wait for his next NHL opportunity.

Five Key Stories: 12/09/19 – 12/15/19

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It was a week full of intrigue leading into a week with the potential to be full of action, as some teams look to make a move before the NHL’s holiday roster freeze begins on Thursday, December 19. Here are the five biggest stories of the past seven days:

Taylor Hall Trade Talks Heating Up: The biggest story of the week remains a non-story, at least for now. The New Jersey Devils threw the hockey world into a tizzy on Friday night when they scratched impending free agent superstar Taylor Hall just minutes before their game started and after he had skated in warm-ups. This immediately sparked speculation that a trade was imminent, especially given the fact that the Devils were set to face the Colorado Avalanche and then the Arizona Coyotes the following night, two of Hall’s biggest suitors. The Devils stressed that Hall was being held out as a precaution and that no deal was in place, and so far that has been proven true. However, with the roster freeze right around the corner, the odds remain high that Hall will be dealt in the coming days.

Peter Deboer Fired By San Jose: A Stanley Cup appearance and two Western Conference Final visits were not enough to save San Jose Sharks head coach Peter Deboer, who was fired on Wednesday. The team’s poor start to the season, and statistics that show it was more than just a case of bad luck, left San Jose in need of a change. They got that and more, moving on from Deboer and three assistants. Former Florida Panthers head coach Bob Boughner has taken over as head coach, with a brand new staff, including two former Sharks players. Whether or not new guidance is enough to cure the Sharks’ woes in net and scoring slump remains to be seen, but Deboer seems unlikely to be unemployed for too long.

Dallas Dismisses Jim Montgomery: There is still almost nothing known about the firing of Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday. Unlike Deboer or New Jersey’s John Hynes, fired for team performance, or Calgary’s Bill Peters, fired for past instances of player abuse, Montgomery’s dismissal fits into neither category. The Stars only stated that Montgomery was fired for “a material act of unprofessionalism”. Assistant Rick Bowness has taken over as interim head coach of a Dallas team that had been on a roll under Montgomery.

Bogosian and Baertschi Request Trades: Two different players have decided that they have had enough of their current situations. Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian requested a trade on Thursday, and Vancouver Canucks winger Sven Baertschi did the same on Saturday. Bogosian, an impending free agent, is not receiving regular play time on a crowded Buffalo blue line. The veteran is a talented defender who undoubtedly like to both conrtibute to a playoff run and establish his value ahead of next summer, but won’t have the opportunity to do either with the Sabres. However, a lofty cap hit and a penchant for getting hurt could make it difficult for Bogosian to move. Baertschi too has an unappealing salary situation. Baertschi has been a relatively productive player in his career, but with a $3.367MM cap hit through 2020-21 and a recent history of concussions, the winger is a risk. Vancouver had opted to send him to the AHL to begin the year, but Baertschi believes that he belongs at the top level and hopes that the Canucks can find him a new home.

Oskar Lindblom Battling Cancer: The Philadelphia Flyers announced sad news on Friday that young forward Oskar Lindblom had been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Lindblom is not expected to return to the ice this season as he focuses on treatment. The 23-year old has 18 points in 30 games this year and the hope is that he can get back to health and continue his growth into a core piece for Philadelphia. Lindblom has received an outpouring of support from the hockey community and we here at PHR certainly wish him the best in this difficult process.

Snapshots: DeBoer, Boqvist, Raymond, Peel

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Many coaches have lost their jobs already this season and several of them may not coach in the NHL ranks again. However, that certainly won’t be the case for former San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer, who lost his job four days ago after the team’s poor start to the season.

Regardless, DeBoer has been an excellent coach, who has put up an impressive record of 415-329-111 record throughout 11+ seasons with San Jose, New Jersey and Florida and has taken the Sharks to the playoffs all four years he’s been with the franchise, which included a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2015-16.

While many coaches prefer to sit out the remainder of the season and look at their options the following year, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday night that the 51-year-old DeBoer is willing to listen to teams if they want to hire him now.

“Sometimes coaches want to take time, maybe the rest of the season before they come back,” Friedman said. “The word is, however, that depending on the situation, Peter DeBoer is willing to listen and will consider coaching this year.”

Of course, there is another likely possibility as The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek (subscription required) suggests that he could consider joining the Seattle franchise as their future head coach, a similar move that Gerard Gallant did after being fired from Florida and then taking on the expansion Vegas Golden Knights position not long after.

  • Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports writes that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist will appear in his 10th game today against the Wild, meaning the team intends to burn the first year of his entry-level contract after he plays the game. With the team opting to keep Boqvist around rather than loan him to Sweden for the World Junior Champsionships, this was the obvious outcome.
  • Sweden has already lost Boqvist and could lose Rasmus Sandin for the World Junior Championships. However, the team has gotten even more bad news as the status of top prospect forward Lucas Raymond is in jeopardy. According to Goteborgs-Posten (translation required), Raymond, considered a top five pick in the 2020 NHL draft (and possibly higher), has been suffering from a viral infection and hasn’t appeared in a game since the end of November and is likely to miss the entire tournament. Raymond has three goals and five points in 16 games in the SHL as a 17-year-old. He also played 10 SHL games as a 16-year-old, scoring two goals.
  • NHL’s John Shannon reports that the NHL are now without two referees as referee Tim Peel fractured his fibula Thursday in Glendale between the Arizona Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks. Peel was run into by Jonathan Toews, who was falling and came down on Peel’s leg with his stick. The scribe writes that Peel had surgery, but is likely to miss the entire season. The NHL also lost Jon McIsaac as well, meaning the league will likely try to hire back some retired refs or bring some up from the AHL.

 

Lukas Radil, Giovanni Fiore Placed On Waivers

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Saturday: Both Radil and Fiore have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Friday: According to CapFriendly, the San Jose Sharks have placed Lukas Radil on waivers, another change in the days since they fired Peter DeBoer and installed Bob Boughner as head coach. The Arizona Coyotes have also placed Giovanni Fiore on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.

Radil, 29, will be a very interesting name to watch on the waiver wire after being so highly sought after in the summer of 2018. The Czech and KHL star decided on the San Jose Sharks that year, signing a one-year deal with them. Fresh off a stint at the Olympics, Radil came to the Sharks as an intriguing power forward that was known for his puck possession skills. GM Doug Wilson was excited about landing him at the time, and Radil would end up playing in 36 games for the Sharks last season.

Unfortunately, things haven’t gone exactly according to plan. The 6’4″ forward has just 11 points in 50 games and has been a complete non-factor this season. Still, with a $700K cap hit he could easily be snatched by another team that believes a bigger role could lead to some improved production.

Fiore meanwhile will become an unrestricted free agent when his contract is terminated, and could test the overseas leagues. He had been dominating the ECHL this season with the Rapid City Rush, but was likely offered a better opportunity elsewhere. The termination of his deal will open a contract slot for the Coyotes.

Minor Transactions: 12/12/19

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Another busy day in the NHL with 12 games on tap, including the first game without Peter DeBoer behind the bench for the San Jose Sharks. Two other teams with new head coaches will battle in Calgary when the Flames take on the Maple Leafs, while the Detroit Red Wings limp into a matchup with the Winnipeg Jets. As those teams and rest prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • It was apparently a paper transaction for Filip Zadina and Dylan McIlrath, who didn’t actually have to fly to San Diego to get into the AHL lineup last night. They have both been recalled by the Red Wings ahead of tonight’s action. The Red Wings are close to getting a few of their important forwards back, but for now Zadina will continue to get a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.
  • Ryan Poehling hopes his own assignment isn’t for long after being sent to the Laval Rocket today. The Montreal Canadiens’ prospect could be recalled before Saturday’s game, unless someone is ready to return to action.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Joseph Blandisi from the minor leagues under emergency conditions, never a good sign for a team that has dealt with countless injuries this season. Blandisi has plenty of NHL experience, including eleven games with the Penguins this season.
  • Joachim Blichfeld has been recalled by the Sharks, the first move under new head coach Bob Boughner. Blichfeld, 21, is the top scorer for San Jose Barracuda with 19 points in 20 games.
  • The St. Louis Blues have returned Nathan Walker to the minor leagues after activating Oskar Sundqvist from injured reserve. Walker, 25, scored two points in his five games with the Blues and is still the leading scorer of the San Antonio Rampage with 22 points in 20 games.
  • Austin Czarnik has been recalled from his conditioning stint by the Calgary Flames, but will remain on long-term injured reserve for the time being.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have returned defenseman Brendan Guhle to the San Diego Gulls, reports Eric Stephens of The Athletic.  He has spent most of the season with Anaheim, collecting four points in 18 games while logging over 17 minutes a night but with Josh Manson recently returning, there wasn’t a spot for Guhle in the lineup anymore.

San Jose Sharks Fire Peter Deboer

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9:00pm CT: The Sharks have officially named Boughner as interim head coach and have confirmed the dismissals of Deboer, Barr, Spott, and Hedberg. Joining Boughner’s staff are former Sharks players and development coaches Mike Ricci and Evgeni Nabokov, as well as AHL head coach Roy Sommer. Sommer’s vacated newposition will shared by Jimmy Bonneau and Michael Chiasson, the Barracuda announced.

7:00pm CT: NHL head coaches continue to drop like flies. Refreshingly, this latest move is reportedly purely a hockey decision. Several sources, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, report that the San Jose Sharks have fired head coach Peter Deboer. Deboer, who was in his fifth year with the Sharks, had one more year remaining on his current contract.

While the team has yet to confirm any personnel moves, many sources believe that assistant Bob Boughner, the former Florida Panthers head coach, will take over as the head coach in San Jose. However, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the organization is set to clean house otherwise. Assistants Dave Barr, Steve Spott, and Johan Hedberg are also reported to have been fired.

In 361 games with the Sharks, Deboer coached the team to a 198-129-34 record. He took San Jose to the playoffs in each of his four full seasons, including a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2017 and Western Conference Final berth just this past year. However, the team has gotten off to a poor start with a 15-16-2 record through 33 games. The Sharks are just 12th in the conference standings and sport the worst goals against average in the West as well.

While management felt that the team’s struggles could be addressed by a coaching change, critics of this decision will point to the poor play of goalies Martin Jones and Aaron Dell for well over a year now – the pair have the NHL’s worst even strength goals against average this season – and the decision by the front office not to address the position as the core source of the problems in San Jose. However, the Sharks are dealing with more issues that just goaltending this year, as they are 24th in scoring and 23rd in power play efficiency as well.

Luckily for the Sharks, Boughner is not your typical interim head coach. The former NHL defenseman was replaced in Florida not because of his performance so much as the availability of Joel Quenneville. He was then a serious candidate for the Buffalo Sabres’ vacancy this summer before returning to San Jose. Boughner enjoyed a long career as a shutdown defender and has a strong grasp on those aspects of the game. Seeing as the Sharks have just two positive plus/minus players in their starting lineup in Logan Couture and Barclay Goodrow, the team can certainly stand to play a tighter defensive game. Barring a change in personnel in goal, Boughner could be the next-best option for the Sharks to stop allowing so many goals.

With Deboer’s dismissal, there have now been five head coaches fired in the NHL this season, all of which have come within the past 22 days. Beginning with Toronto relieving Mike Babcock on November 20, Calgary’s Bill Peters, New Jersey’s John Hynes and, just yesterday,  Dallas’ Jim Montgomery have all lost their jobs as well. Sadly, the news today out of San Jose had to be qualified as “a hockey decision”, given the recent spotlight on coach abuse in hockey, which led to Peters’ firing, and the murky details on the behavioral issues that forced out Montgomery. All sources who have reported on the Sharks’ coaching decision have reiterated that there were no other factors in play other than the performance of the team.

Pacific Notes: Simek, Forbort, Fleury, Comtois, Kassian

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The San Jose Sharks find themselves down a defenseman as The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that defenseman Radim Simek will return to San Jose and is expected to miss two weeks to have a minor procedure on his meniscus, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for the start of the season.

Simek sat out the first month of the season with the knee injury he suffered during the season last year. However, his return to the Sharks’ lineup coincided with San Jose’s success as the team has gone 11-4-1 as the team struggled with their defensive depth up until then. The 27-year-old has averaged 16:54 of ATOI and has a goal, four assists and 28 hits over 16 games.

  • The season debut that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Derek Forbort was anticipating soon will go on hold as the blueliner was placed back on injured reserve Saturday after suffering a setback of his back injury, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Forbort, who has yet to make his season debut after going down with a back injury during the preseason. He was expected to return soon, however, as he was sent to the Ontario Reign of the AHL on a conditioning assignment. However, he played two games before suffering the setback. There is currently no timetable on his return.
  • After a six-game layoff, the Vegas Golden Knights will have to wait at least one more game before starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will return to the ice. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that Malcolm Subban will get the start again despite Fleury’s return since his father passed away. The scribe writes that head coach Gerard Gallant wants to give Fleury some more practice time before throwing him into a game.
  • Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford writes that with the injury of Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie for the next 6-10 weeks, the beneficiary of that injury is likely to be Max Comtois, who immediately was moved onto the team’s second line in hopes more playing time will spark his development. Comtois, a second-round pick in 2017, has had some success with the Ducks. He has two goals and five points so far in 13 games with the Ducks, but the injury will give the 20-year-old an even bigger opportunity to put up more offense.
  • While the Edmonton Oilers announced that they had activated forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off of injured reserve and expect him to play Sunday, the team also expects to get back forward Zack Kassian as well. The 28-year-old Kassian has missed the past three games with a back injury, but is expected to join Nugent-Hopkins and likely will take his place on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Kassian has been averaging a career-high 16:22 of ice time this season and has nine goals and 19 points this year.

Ryan Johansen, Evander Kane Receive Fines

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The Department of Player Safety has handed out a pair of fines today, giving a $5,000 bill to both Ryan Johansen of the Nashville Predators and Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks. Johansen’s incident occurred when he tried to throw a reverse check against Tampa Bay Lightning Brayden Point and caught him square with an elbow in last night’s game. Kane meanwhile also tried to throw a preemptive strike on Radko Gudas of the Washington Capitals and caught him up high with an elbow. Both players received game misconducts.

Though neither player will end up suspended, fines like this are taken into account down the road when it comes to other potential discipline. The $5,000 figure was the largest suspension allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Neither Point nor Gudas appear to have suffered any real injury on the play, which is also taken into account when deciding on supplementary discipline.

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