Minor Transactions: 03/30/19
You know the NHL season is wrapping up when teams can clinch playoff spots without even winning games. Out West, both the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues earned playoff berths with the Arizona Coyotes’ shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche, even though both teams suffered losses to inferior clubs. With every NHL team now down to five or less regular season games remaining, those windows to reach the postseason are tightening. Several more dominoes could fall tonight, as the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs can clinch, while Montreal-Canadiens-Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets-Nashville Predators are both critical games for all involved. The stakes are high and teams are making sure that they are ready to go with roster adjustments. Make sure to follow along with all of the minor moves made today:
- Nick DeSimone‘s stint with the San Jose Sharks lasted just one day, as he has been returned to the AHL’s Barracuda. The Sharks have opted not to recall another defenseman, but instead add a forward in Dylan Gambrell, one of the few players scoring at a better clip than DeSimone in the minors. Gambrell has 41 points in just 45 games with the Barracuda, but has yet to find the score sheet through six games with the Sharks this season. The University of Denver star looks like a future NHLer, but it’s unclear if San Jose is planning to give him another look before the end of the regular season or if he is simply a depth call-up. With a big game tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Sharks would need some production out of Gambrell were he to play. The Sharks also announced they have recalled defenseman Jake Middleton. The 6-foot-3 defenseman has scored five goals and 19 points in 54 games for the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to battle injuries on the blue line and have called up Adam Clendening to replace the sidelined Adam McQuaid. McQuaid took a high shot from Montreal’s Andrew Shaw the other night, for which there was surprisingly no response for the league. McQuaid has a history of injury trouble and there is no timeline for his return yet. Ryan Murray also continue to be out of commission, considered “week-to-week” by the team. As such, Clendening gets the call as the current seventh defender. The experienced depth defenseman has been highly productive with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters this season, but less so in just four games with Columbus. If another absence does cause Clendening to draw in to the Blue Jackets’ lineup, he is fully capable of playing at the NHL level, but the team would love to see production more closely resembling his strong minor league numbers.
- The season is over for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels after a first round loss, but the Chicago Blackhawks are not ready for Brandon Hagel and Reese Johnson to be done playing just yet. The team has reassigned the 2016 draft pick and recent free agent signing to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs for the remainder of the season. Hagel, 20, recorded a whopping 102 points in 66 games this season and added another six postseason points, even in a four-game sweep. Understandably, the Blackhawks want to see how the WHL’s fourth-highest scorer can perform at the pro level. Joining him is Johnson, who just signed with Chicago earlier this month. The technical centerman and Red Deer captain registered 53 points on the year, but could wind up an even better pro player than junior player.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced they have recalled forwards Chase De Leo and Sam Carrick from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 23-year-old De Leo had a solid season with San Diego after Anaheim acquired him this summer in a trade with Winnipeg. De Leo has 19 goals and 51 points in 61 games. He hasn’t made an NHL appearance since the 2015-16 season. The 27-year-old Carrick has 28 goals and 28 assists in 57 games this year with the Gulls and has appeared in five games with the Ducks this season with no points.
AHL Signings: Vela, Spinner, Bradley
Forward Marcus Vela has signed on with San Jose, but not the NHL team that drafted him, instead their AHL affiliate. The San Jose Barracuda announced a deal with the University of New Hampshire standout today, who has seemingly passed up the opportunity to become a free agent later this summer in favor of a minor league contract within his drafted organization. Vela was a seventh-round draft pick of the Sharks back in 2015 out of the BCHL and went on to play four seasons with the UNH Wildcats. While he improved in each collegiate season and eventually became the team captain, he maxed out at 18 points in his best season and never really showed next-level offensive ability. The 6’2″ center is still a strong, smart, two-way player, but it seems that both he and the Sharks were unsure if he was ready for an NHL contract. Rather than wait for his rights to expire in August and hope for an NHL contract elsewhere, Vela seems content to prove himself in the AHL and potentially earn his entry-level deal later on.
- Another drafted forward joining his organization’s farm team is Steven Spinner. Spinner, drafted all the way back in 2014 by the Washington Capitals, signed an amateur tryout offer with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced. Spinner, 23, just wrapped up a four-year career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha that likely fell short of the Capitals’ expectations for the sixth-round pick. The right winger accumulated only 56 points in 136 NCAA games, capped off by a mere four-point senior campaign. Such production doesn’t really warrant an NHL contract, but Spinner will get a shot to show he can do better at the pro level down the stretch and may yet earn a shot in Washington. It seems more likely that this is a precursor to an AHL contract next season, though.
- Colorado College’s leading scorer this season, Trey Bradley, is one of the few notable hockey players who hails from Tampa, Florida, so naturally the undrafted free agent has signed with… the Toronto Marlies? Bradley won’t be joining the pipeline of his hometown team, but instead that of one of their divisional rivals. The Marlies announced that Bradley has joined the team on an ATO for the remainder of this season, but has signed on for the 2019-20 campaign as well. Bradley is fresh off of a season in which he scored 34 points in 41 games, his second straight season with 30+ points for Colorado College. He should be able to translate his success in the NCHC to the AHL relatively well.
Minor Transactions: 03/28/19
Just a handful of games remain in the 2018-19 NHL regular season, and eight of them will be played tonight. All the focus is on Columbus as the Blue Jackets will host their playoff competition in the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens sit two points ahead of the Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot but have played one extra game and do not hold the tiebreaker, meaning tonight is an absolute must-win for the team. Columbus meanwhile can’t fall any further behind after spending so many assets to put themselves in a position of contention this season. As they and the rest of the league prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- After recalling Victor Olofsson from the AHL yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Tage Thompson down in his place. Thompson hasn’t had the kind of impact the Sabres hoped for this season, recording just 12 points in 65 games after being acquired as part of the Ryan O’Reilly deal. The 21-year old still has quite a bit of potential, but will have to really take a step forward next year to be considered a core piece.
- Before their game against the New York Rangers last night, the Boston Bruins returned Karson Kuhlman to the minor leagues. Kuhlman has played seven games for the Bruins this season, recording two goals and three points in his first year of professional hockey. Signed out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the 23-year old has 30 points in 58 games at the minor league level.
- The Dallas Stars have recalled Landon Bow after Ben Bishop suffered another minor injury, but the veteran goaltender is expected to stay with the team on their current road trip. That means Bow will likely not see any action, though he is expected to back up Anton Khudobin tonight.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Matt Tennyson, despite having ten defensemen on the roster already. Jake McCabe was back at practice today, though both Zach Bogosian and Rasmus Ristolainen remained out. Tennyson has played four games for the Sabres this season, spending most of the time in the AHL instead.
- Jake Dotchin is back up with the Anaheim Ducks, possibly through the end of what has been a difficult season for the big defenseman. Dotchin had his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning terminated in training camp due to his physical fitness levels, but was able to find a new home with Anaheim. Yet, he has so far suited up in just 20 games for the Ducks, recording one lone point, after he played in more than half of Tampa’s games last season and registered double-digit point. Dotchin will be a restricted free agent this off-season and it will be interesting to see if the Ducks opt to qualify him or not.
- The San Jose Sharks have called Nick DeSimone over from the AHL locker room. The team continues to shuffle through Barracuda defenders and DeSimone is the next in line. The 24-year-old is tied for second in scoring for AHL San Jose and has certainly earned his NHL debut at this point.
- Martin Frk has been reassigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, their parent club, the Detroit Red Wings, announced. Frk has been disappointingly unproductive in the NHL this season, recording five points in 25 games. He’s done much better in the AHL, with 13 points in just ten games, but Detroit was hoping for that contribution to be at the top level. Frk is an RFA this off-season and the Red Wings will have to decide whether or not to bring him back.
Erik Karlsson's Skating Schedule Scaled Back
- Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson has had his skating schedule scaled back as he continues to work his way back from a groin injury, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. Instead of skating daily, he’s now hitting the ice every second day which suggests his return is further away than expected. San Jose has already clinched a playoff spot and appears to be locked into a matchup with Vegas so they can afford to be cautious but they also would undoubtedly feel better if he had some game action before the postseason gets underway. Meanwhile, Pashelka adds that center Joe Pavelski, who has missed four straight games due to a lower-body injury, is progressing in his recovery and could be available for their game on Thursday against Chicago.
AHL Signings: Marchin, Sawchenko, Boston College
The last time that the Providence Bruins signed a standout player from a nearby university it worked out pretty well for the organization. Providence inked former Quinnipiac University defenseman Connor Clifton to an AHL deal in the 2017 after the Arizona Coyotes opted not to sign their draft selection. Clifton later earned an entry-level contract with strong play in his first pro season and is currently up with the Boston Bruins, having played in 15 games with the team this year while also leading all Providence defensemen in scoring. The P-Bruins have made a similar signing and all parties involved hope it ends up as well as Clifton’s did. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver reports that Brown University captain Tommy Marchin has signed an AHL contract for next season with the team in the same city as his alma mater. It appears that he will suit up on an amateur tryout offer for the remainder of this season. Marchin, Brown’s Hobey Baker candidate this season, enjoyed a strong collegiate career outside of a sophomore slump, twice cracking 25 points in a season. At 6’3″, 216 lbs., Marchin is a power winger with good offensive instincts who should be able to contribute immediately for the P-Bruins. Perhaps he too will earn his way to Boston as well someday.
- Many were surprised when highly-touted WHL goaltender Zach Sawchenko went undrafted year after year from 2015-2017 despite starting nearly every game for the Moose Jaw Warriors and leading a Canadian World Junior entry during that time and routinely displaying great athleticism. Sawchenko finally opted to go to college and has played the past two seasons for the University of Alberta, putting up stellar numbers. While not the usual route, that decision has led Sawchenko to finally reaching his dream of playing pro hockey. The San Jose Barracuda have signed the 21-year-old keeper to a two-year AHL deal, his university team has announced. Sawchenko could be in line for immediate play time next season, as current tandem Antoine Bibeau and Josef Korenar have evenly split starts this year, but neither has stood out. The situation is open for Sawchenko to assert himself as a starting option with consistent play. And with struggles in net for the San Jose Sharks as well, this is an ideal opportunity for Sawchenko to show he can be an NHL option one day.
- Boston College seniors are a hot ticket item right now, as Joseph Woll and Casey Fitzgerald have signed NHL contracts this week and now two veteran leaders have inked AHL deals. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have added both forward Chris Brown and defenseman Michael Kim to their roster for the remainder of the season, the team announced, bringing in a pair of respected and experienced Eagles. Brown is the more interesting addition, as he was a draft pick not of Pittsburgh but of Buffalo back in 2014 and is technically Sabres property until August. Yet, logic would dictate that if Brown and Buffalo were considering an entry-level deal, he would be joining the AHL’s Rochester Americans. His move to the WBS Penguins would indicate that Brown will be a free agent later this summer. The 23-year-old center is a capable two-way forward who has a limited offensive ceiling but could still be a role player at the pro level. As for Kim, the 23-year-old Toronto native has been consistently productive from the blue line over the past few years and plays a solid possession game. Although he went undrafted, Kim is well-regarded and should land an AHL contract at the very least heading into next season.
Sharks Had No Interest In Making A Goalie Trade By The Deadline
Leading into last month’s trade deadline, there was plenty of speculation that the Sharks may be looking to do something with one of their goaltenders. While San Jose has been among the top scoring teams in the league all season, they’ve struggled at keeping the puck out of their own net and sit last in the league in save percentage. Despite that, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters, including Paul Gackle of the Mercury News, that they had no interest in moving one of their two goalies. Backup Aaron Dell has struggled considerably this season but has two good seasons in that role under his belt, not to mention another year on his contract at $1.9MM which could have limited his potential market somewhat anyway.
Pacific Notes: Neal, Hughes, Golden Knights
Already atop the Pacific Division, the Calgary Flames hope to get even stronger after veteran winger James Neal returned to the lineup Saturday night. Neal, who signed a five-year, $28.75MM deal in the offseason, has struggled in his time with the Flames with both injury and production, posting just five goals in 56 games. However, Calgary hopes they can get the 31-year-old going just in time for the playoffs, giving them another weapon they haven’t really had all season.
Neal, who has had 10 straight season with 20 goals or more throughout his career, fared well in his first game back.
“I thought he was real good,” said Flames’ head coach Bill Peters after Saturday’s win. “Really happy with Nealer’s play. I thought he was physical. I thought he was engaged in the game. I thought he played real well.”
Neal has one other key statistic — he has 100 games of playoff experience — a quality that few Flames have, which could be another big asset for the team.
“It felt like a long time (out), but my body feels good and I’m excited to get going,” Neal said prior to Saturday’s welcome-back against the Canucks. “It’s always tough when you get injured but for me, just the way everything was going, I just kind of took it as a positive and rested up and got ready for a big playoff run.”
- The debut of Vancouver Canucks top prospect, Quinn Hughes, could be fast approaching as Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma reports that Hughes was out on the ice this morning, skating effortlessly during skills session. The 19-year-old had a recent test that cleared him of having a broken bone in his foot that he suffered with Michigan during the Big 10 playoffs while blocking a shot. The Canucks hope they can get their 2018 first-rounder out on the ice before their season ends.
- Steve Carp of SinBin.vegas writes that one advantage that the Vegas Golden Knights have, almost guaranteed to be locked into a playoff battle with the San Jose Sharks in the first round, is the team can afford to give injured players some rest. That has been evidenced by forward Max Pacioretty, who landed awkwardly after taking a hit from Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba on Thursday and is listed as day-to-day and with little incentive left until the playoffs, the team is giving him the time he needs to rest up. The same goes from heavily used Marc-Andre Fleury, who is out with a lower-body injury and has missed four straight games. Even Erik Haula, who has missed most of the season, is skating regularly and could be ready to practice when the playoffs start.
Minor Transactions: 03/23/19
With the playoff races in full swing and 28 of 31 teams in action, the antepenultimate Saturday of the season figures to be a busy one. There’s likely to be a lot of roster movement throughout the day and we’ll keep tabs on those moves here.
- The Stars announced the recall of center Justin Dowling from Texas of the AHL. Unlikely many moves at this time of the season, this one is not an emergency recall which means it counts against Dallas’ four non-emergency post-deadline recalls. The 28-year-old, who inked a two-year extension earlier this month, has spent most of the season with AHL Texas where he has 53 points in 62 games to lead their farm team in scoring. He has suited up in six games with Dallas so far this season, recording a single assist. He’ll serve as depth down the middle for their stretch run.
- Ottawa has returned defenseman Erik Brannstrom to AHL Belleville, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). He was up with the team on emergency recall. The 19-year-old has played in two games with the Senators since being acquired from Vegas and will likely get another shot with the big club in the coming weeks.
- The San Jose Sharks announced that they have sent forward Dylan Gambrell and defenseman Nick DeSimone have both been reassigned to the San Jose Barracuda after being recalled just one day ago. Gambrell, in particular, has been sent back and forth quite a bit this season, but the 22-year-old hasn’t made an appearance with the Sharks since Feb. 16.
- The New Jersey Devils announced they have sent a number of players to their AHL affiliate in Binghamton after their win today over Arizona, including forwards Joey Anderson, Blake Pietila, John Quenneville, Eric Tangradi and defenseman Josh Jacobs. All players will be expected to gain seasoning in the AHL and have found themselves going back and forth quite a bit recently.
- The Washington Capitals announced they have recalled Tyler Lewington from the Hershey Bears of the AHL to fill its hole on defense. With only six players on the roster and almost no cap space remaining to work with, the team could have made a number of moves to bring up a defenseman, but Lewington had the cheapest contract of their AHL defenseman and is likely to be used as an emergency player, likely not seeing any time for the Capitals. The 24-year-old has three goals, 14 points and 113 penalty minutes in 57 games this season in Hershey.
Snapshots: Retirement, Meier, Hall
As the season comes to an end for half the teams in the NHL, various older players—especially those without a contract for next season—will have to consider what comes next. Two of those players, Ryan Miller of the Anaheim Ducks and Jason Pominville of the Buffalo Sabres, were profiled today by Josh Cooper and Joe Yerdon of The Athletic (subscription required) and both had basically the same answer—”I’ll think about it after the season.”
It’s unclear what the future holds for each of them, but they are entering the summer in different situations. Miller, 38, still had a solid year for the Ducks despite his injury, but has been clear in the past that he wants to stay in Southern California (where his wife works as an actress). Pominville meanwhile is about to be a healthy scratch for the third time this season and will turn 37 in November. While his production is still adequate—the Sabres forward scored 15 goals and 28 points this season—there might not be a huge lineup at his front door on July 1st. Neither player is admitting that retirement is a possibility, but only because they’re still focused on the end of this year. A few more weeks and they might have a very different answer.
- The NHL has issued a $2,000 fine to San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier for diving, a punishment that only kicks in for the second reported incident. Meier apparently was cited for embellishment on February 5th in Winnipeg, while this latest occurence took place in Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators. Meier received an unsportsmanlike penalty on the play. While these fines aren’t a huge bill for an NHL player to pay, on the fifth offense the head coach begins to receive similar punishments. Causing your boss to pay thousands of dollars in fines certainly isn’t something anyone wants to do, let alone a professional hockey player.
- Taylor Hall‘s name has kept coming up in trade speculation through a disastrous season for the New Jersey Devils and the reining Hart Trophy winner in particular, but that doesn’t mean the team is looking to move him. In fact, GM Ray Shero discussed Hall on the latest Executive Suite podcast and explained that he’ll approach him about a contract extension after the season ends. The two sides can’t officially sign a new deal until July 1st when Hall will have just a single year left on his deal, but they can certainly iron out the details.
Free Agent Profile: Justin Brazeau
While many observers are caught up in the college free agent market right now, the prize among undrafted free agents hails from the junior ranks. Justin Brazeau, a 21-year-old winger from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, is ready to be an impact pro player as soon as his season ends, which could be sooner rather than later.
The OHL regular season has ended and the playoffs are set to get underway, beginning on Thursday. Brazeau suited up in all 68 games for the Battalion this season, recording 61 goals and 113 points. The massive output by the North Bay captain was good enough for the league lead in goals and second in scoring behind only top Dallas Stars prospect Jason Robertson. Yet, it wasn’t enough to place the Battalion among the top teams in the league. North Bay finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and face a daunting match-up with Robertson and the Niagara Ice Dogs in the first round.
If Brazeau and the Battalion do indeed make an early exit – a sweep would end the series by the middle of next week – Brazeau could sign his entry-level contract by the end of the month. Of course, as a junior player he could sign an ELC at any time, but at this point Brazeau seems willing to wait until his final year of juniors is officially over. He has likely had conversations with many teams already, but seems poised to look at all options for the next step in his career.
Brazeau should be able to choose freely any team in the NHL he likes for his first contract. The overage forward is more than just numbers; while many before him have dominated the junior level offensively only to flame out at the pro level, those players tend to be smaller in stature and able to skate around their opposition at the junior level. Brazeau is a different type of player entirely. At 6’6″ and 225 lbs., Brazeau is a bona fide power forward. He has great skill and offensive instincts, but can hold his own defensively with great size and strength. In fact, maybe the only weakness that could prevent him from continuing to be a contributor in the NHL is his skating. If he can improve upon his ability to get back and forth, Brazeau can be dangerous in both ends.
Potential Suitors
The short answer is that all 31 teams have likely checked in on Brazeau. A junior player of both this size and production are few and far in between and all of the NHL is on alert that Brazeau could be a special player. At the cost of an entry-level contract, it would be silly for any team not to take a chance on the big scoring forward.
However, there are some leaders in the pursuit. Of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs are always a top contender. An Ontario native, Brazeau could have the opportunity to play on a top team close to home, while the Leafs are desperate for affordable help as they face an impending cap crunch and could afford to add some more size up front as well. Similarly, Brazeau could choose to play relatively nearby in Ottawa, as the Senators need all the help they can get and Brazeau could immediately take on a major role.
Brazeau also has some history with a pair of NHL teams. The undrafted product did spend time at development camp with both the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets over the past few years and may have maintained relationships with those clubs. Both the Sharks and the Blue Jackets are talented teams on which Brazeau could find immediate success.
However, San Jose and Columbus, as well as Toronto, are deep up front. Brazeau wants to play as soon as possible and may not get that chance this season with one of those three teams. The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins are two top contenders who do have flexibility in the top-nine and could be willing to give Brazeau a shot right away. The New York Rangers aren’t at the same competitive level as those teams, but are shockingly thin at right wing and Brazeau could hypothetically play
Projected Contract
Brazeau is going to sign an entry-level contract, so there is a limit on both base salary and potential bonuses, both of which he will likely max out. It will also be a three-year term, per the CBA. The key to signing the power forward will instead be who is willing or even able to burn the first year of the contract this season. Brazeau has shown that he has the size, skill, and competitive nature to play in the NHL and will want to prove that right away. The potential future star will also want to get another year closer to making real money. If a team can promise Brazeau play time this year, it will go a long way in locking him up. If such a landing spot doesn’t exist, he could opt for a team with which he can play the greatest role next season.