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Minor Moves: Witkowski, Kulak, Wotherspoon

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Thursday night in the NHL and there are 10 games on the docket tonight. With so many teams playing, there are sure to be a handful of minor moves to fill out rosters and cover injuries. We’ll keep you up to date right here.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a solid 14-11-2 start to the season, but have been struggling lately, losing five of their last six games. With three days off to regroup since their game on Sunday, the team has called up Luke Witkowski to give them a bit of a defensive boost. The Syracuse Crunch captain, Witkowski has played six games for the Lightning this year and offers a big physical presence on the back end. The 26-year old was a sixth-round pick of the Lightning back in 2008 and was a standout at Western Michigan University before joining the Crunch.
  • Going in the opposite direction, the Calgary Flames are on a four-game winning streak but will make a move to give some more icetime to a young player. Brett Kulak has been sent down to the AHL to play more, as he’d sat out the last five games. Kulak is a 22-year old defender that the Flames think can be an NHL player for a long time, and they’d like him to develop just a bit more before installing him on their blueline. To replace him, the team has called up Tyler Wotherspoon from the Stockton Heat. A former second-round pick, Wotherspoon is a bit more polished and can offer a more physical game. Though Wotherspoon only has 26 NHL games under his belt, this will be his fourth season spending time with the Flames. No word on whether he’ll get into the lineup right away, or just take Kulak’s spot in the press box.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Andrey Pedan from the AHL. Pedan has played 18 games for the Utica Comets this season, scoring just three points while racking up thirty penalty minutes. The former third-round pick played thirteen games for the Canucks last season, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL lineup this year.
  • After not playing in last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Teemu Pulkkinen has been sent down to the AHL. Just like his entire career to this point, Pulkkinen has been an outstanding scoring threat at the lower level but is unable to replicate it in the NHL. With 15 points in 16 games for the Iowa Wild, but just a single goal in 8 contests for Minnesota, the enigma persists.
  • Brad Hunt, the AHL’s leading scorer, has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues. Amazingly, the defenseman has 29 points in 23 games playing for the Chicago Wolves. Always a big point producer at the lower level, Hunt has suited up in 21 NHL contests over the years.

Blues Place Robert Bortuzzo On IR, Activate Joel Edmundson

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Robert Bortuzzo’s tough luck with the injury bug this season continues.  The Blues announced that they have placed the blueliner on the injured reserve list with a lower body injury and that they will re-evaluate his condition in six weeks.  It’s the second time already this year that Bortuzzo has been on the IR with a lower body issue as he missed nine games from late October to mid-November as well.

This season, the 27 year old has played in 11 games with St. Louis, scoring a goal and an assist while playing just under 14 minutes per game on the third pairing.  He’s in his third season with the Blues since being acquired from the Penguins back in March of 2015 in exchange for fellow blueliner Ian Cole.

Likely taking Bortuzzo’s spot in the lineup will be Joel Edmundson, who was activated today off the IR after missing the last 12 games with an upper body injury.  He’s in his second NHL season and has suited up for the Blues 13 times this year, picking up an assist and 17 penalty minutes while averaging 15:04 of ice time per night.

[Related: Blues Depth Chart]

Snapshots: NHL Three Stars, Grabner, Koivu

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The NHL has named Steve Mason, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Martin Jones as the three stars of the week.

Mason went 4-0-0 with a 0.945 SV% and a 1.71 GAA. He made 120 saves in those four games. Mason’s great week has boosted the Flyers back into a wildcard spot. He’s one win away from tying his career-best winning streak. Mason now has a 9-8-3 record with a 0.908 SV% and a 2.76 GAA for the season. Prior to his hot week, he had a save percentage of 0.892, which is not good for a starting goalie.

Tarasenko had four goals and five points in four games as the Blues earned five of six possible points. He scored the overtime winner against Dallas on November 28th, and then potted a hat-trick on December 1 against the Lightning. His four points against Tampa Bay matched his career high. Tarasenko now has 27 points in 25 games, good for third in the NHL behind only Connor McDavid (34 points) and Nikita Kucherov (29 points).

Jones had a 3-0-0 record with a 0.962 SV% and a goals-against of 1.01. He allowed just one goal in each appearance, as the Sharks passed Edmonton for first in the Pacific Division. Jones is tied for second among goalies with 13 wins, and has a sparkling 0.924 SV% and 1.99 GAA with two shutouts.

  • The New York Rangers will be without Michael Grabner on Tuesday night. After the speedy winger practiced on the fourth defense pair with Adam Clendening, NHL Live host Jim Cerny tweeted that Grabner had a death in his family and will be a scratch against the Islanders. Grabner has been lights-out this year, with 13 goals in 26 games so far.
  • Wild captain Mikko Koivu had a tremendous game on Sunday night. He scored the overtime winner, dangling around Oilers goalie Jonas Gustavsson, but also won an astounding 91.3% of his face-offs (21/23). In a league where a face-off percentage higher than 50% is considered good, Koivu had an unreal night. He’s currently sitting at 55% on the season.

Metro Division Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Islanders, Berube

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the league’s pleasant surprises through the quarter point of the campaign. Expected to again be a lottery team after a 27th place finish in 2015-16, Columbus is off to a 14 – 5 – 4 start and their 32 points are good enough to place them in a tie for fifth most in the NHL. The Jackets also rank in the top-ten in goals scored, goals allowed and have the league’s top ranked man advantage unit. Craig Morgan, writing for Fan Rag Sports Network, explores how Columbus has been able to turn things around after an offseason that didn’t yield any major personnel changes.

Morgan spoke with Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline, who was able to provide his insights into the team. Right off the top Portzline cites three key reasons for Columbus’ early success. First, Sergei Bobrovsky has been healthy and is performing at a high level between the pipes. Second, Alex Wennberg is producing at the level of a top center. Third, rookie blue liner Zach Werenski has shown he wasn’t just ready to play in the NHL, he was ready to be a star in the league.

Among goalies who have played in at least 15 games this season, Bobrovsky ranks 5th in Save % (0.929) and 6th in GAA (2.08). Wennberg, in his third NHL campaign, has 6 goals and 21 points in 23 contests and is tied for 7th in the league in assists. Werenski leads all rookie blue liners in goals (5) and points (16).

In addition to the output of those three key players, young defenseman Seth Jones has also played a vital role in the Blue Jackets unexpectedly strong play. Columbus head coach John Tortorella had this to say about Jones’ impact:

“You can see how he can control the game with the puck. We have a lot of teaching to do with him without the puck, but the God-given ability that he has, it’s at a different level than a lot of other players in this league.”

Whether or not Columbus can maintain this level of play and compete for a playoff berth of course remains to be seen. However, by this point in the campaign, teams that are currently hold a postseason spot have excellent odds of making the playoffs and that should bode well for the Jackets.

Elsewhere in the Metro Division:

  • With new ownership now pulling the strings in Brooklyn, there are rumblings that the New York Islanders may be searching for a high level executive to join their front office, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. The plan is to add a big name and evidently among those who are under consideration are two former NHL’ers with ties to the New York area: former Islander and Ranger Pat LaFontaine and Brad Richards, who retired after last season and spent three seasons with the Blueshirts. Staple adds that another name linked to the potential new role is Pat Brisson, who just so happens to be John Tavares’ agent and was a contender for the Pittsburgh Penguins GM position two years ago. It’s not clear whether the hire, if eventually made, would join the team as team president and work with Islanders GM Garth Snow, or if that person would be charged with reshaping the organization’s front office.
  • Jean-Francois Berube is currently in a tough spot as the Islanders #3 goalie behind Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss. Fearful of losing the 25-year-old net minder on waivers but apparently unwilling to give him any playing time, the Islanders have planted Berube firmly in the press box for much of the last two seasons. Berube has yet to see any action this season at any level and got into just 12 games – seven in the NHL and five in the AHL – in 2015-16. It’s certainly an unusual situation but as Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes, it’s not an entirely unique one. According to Brooks, goaltender Wayne Thomas spent the entire 1974-75 campaign on the roster of the Montreal Canadiens without even dressing as the backup. Berube has at least been on the Isles bench 10 times this season. Thomas would go on to appear in 243 career NHL contests – including a career-high 64 appearances the next season – perhaps providing some hope for Berube, who has all of seven games to his credit. While Brooks’ story is somewhat anecdotal, Berube and his representation have not been amused with the net minder’s lack of usage over the last two seasons. A resolution of some sorts that allows Berube to get on the ice, whether in Brooklyn or another NHL city, is likely best for all parties involved.

Central Division Snapshots: Lehtera, Parise, Avalanche

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In his latest chat feature appearing in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jeremy Rutherford tackles an array of reader questions yesterday. A popular topic for Blues fans are the ongoing struggles of center Jori Lehtera, who St. Louis made a healthy scratch for this evening’s game against Winnipeg.

Lehtera posted a strong rookie campaign in 2014-15, finishing with 14 goals and 44 points in 75 games. He followed that up with a 34-point campaign last season, a noticeable drop off in output but still enough to convince the Blues to ink the 28-year-old Finnish pivot to a three-year deal with an AAV of $4.7MM. As Rutherford noted, the Blues might have been better off waiting another year to prove himself but the team decided to get that deal done so as to allow themselves to focus on re-signing David Backes and Jaden Schwartz. With just seven points in 20 games this season it’s looking like that extension may have indeed been premature.

Rutherford also believes it’s more likely now that the team will leave Lehtera unprotected and available to be taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in next June’s expansion draft. He projects the Blues will choose to protect 10 skaters – seven forwards and three blue liners – but has Lehtera and Ty Rattie as two the team will leave unprotected.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  •  Mike Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Zach Parise is indeed healthy, according to the team’s bench boss, Bruce Boudreau. There was concern after the veteran winger blocked a shot in the first period of Minnesota’s recent loss to Calgary. Boudreau described Parise’s skating as “sluggish” and “methodical,” in post-game remarks, which led to the questions pertaining to Parise’s health status. The long-time NHL coach did sit down with Parise along with winger Charlie Coyle, and plans to do the same with center Eric Staal to discuss the line’s recent struggles. As Russo notes, the line is pointless in its last two contests and the trio combined for just two even-strength shots in the Calgary game.
  • Lastly, Colorado GM Joe Sakic is sticking by the team’s core group despite a rough start to the 2016-17 campaign, writes Terry Frei of The Denver Post. The Avalanche are currently tied with Arizona for last place in the Western Conference and are seven points out of a playoff berth. With their season on the verge of slipping away, Sakic still expresses faith in his core – Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Semyon Varlamov, Tyson Barrie, Erik Johnson and Nathan MacKinnon – and feels the team needs to play with more urgency in order to get their season back on track: “I have faith in them. But to me, the start is not a core thing; it’s a team thing. I think you see we’re trying to hold people accountable. We know we have certain guys who can give more, and those guys know they can give more, but it’s not like it’s a whole thing. We’re not as consistent as we need to be. We didn’t win two straight Cups and have that leeway. We have to play with that urgency every night on a consistent basis to be successful.” Sakic’s reluctance to break up the team’s core played at least some part in the division between the GM and former head coach Patrick Roy. Unless the Avalanche can turn things around relatively quickly, it’s going to look like Roy, and not Sakic, was correct in his assessment.

Jori Lehtera To Be Healthy Scratched

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Jori Lehtera will be watching tonight’s game from the press box.

The skilled center will be a healthy scratch on Saturday night when St. Louis host the Winnipeg Jets, according to Lou Korac, who covers the Blues for NHL.com. It appears that Nail Yakupov will take his spot in the lineup.

Lehtera has seven points (3-4-7) in 20 games, and was demoted to the third line during last game. Earlier this season, coach Ken Hitchcock scratched Robby Fabbri to get him motivated, and now he’s doing it again with another of the Blues top-nine forwards.

Yakupov will play on the third line with Patrik Berglund and Dmitrij Jaskin. The former first-overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers has five points (2-3-5) in 16 games this season. He’s been healthy-scratched eight times so far this season, since being acquired in October for ECHL forward Zach Pochiro and a conditional draft pick.

According to Korac, Hitchcock said he’s liked Yakupov’s effort in the last three practices. His last game was November 23.

Snapshots: Anderson, LeBrun’s Power Rankings, Blues

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The Associated Press reports that Ottawa Senators’ net minder Craig Anderson will take another leave of absence to be with his wife during her battle with throat cancer. Anderson will not be available to play Thursday when the Sens take on the Flyers in Ottawa. In turn, the Senators recalled Andrew Hammond and also have Mike Condon ready to go.  Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen writes that Sens’ bench boss Guy Boucher said that there is no timetable for Anderson’s return but that the earliest he could be back is Saturday. Warren added a quote from Condon who said: “I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s going through and I wish him the best.”

In other NHL news:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks remain #1 on Pierre LeBrun’s Power Rankings as the first of December approaches. Though they went 3-3-1 on the annual Circus Trip, the Hawks were able to survive without captain Jonathan Toews, who has missed the past three games. Seated second are the Montreal Canadiens, followed by the New York Rangers, who are tops in scoring in the NHL. Fourth and fifth in LeBrun’s rankings are the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Ottawa Senators jumped six spots to number six, while the Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Nashville Predators round out LeBrun’s top ten respectively. In the power rankings basement? The Islanders hold the spot, due to only a pair of wins in November. LeBrun wonders if ownership will still be as patient if similar results follow in December.

  • Despite an earlier report indicating that the St. Louis Blues could be cutting ties with AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves, KSDK Sports Director Frank Cusumano was contacted directly by a Blues Executive who denied such reports.  NHL.com’s Lou Korac wrote earlier that the Blues were readying to put a new AHL team in Kansas City, and the report, via his blog “In the Slot,” was posted on KSDK’s site.  Though Korac said the Blues have not made the plans official, a source told him that it’s pretty much a “done deal.” That news conflicted with what a Blues executive told Cusumano, saying that, “No decisions are close to being made.  We are talking to a lot of people.” 

Central Division Snapshots: Arvidsson, Blues, Hawks, Johns, Oduya

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Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson is establishing himself as a legitimate top-six forward in the league with a strong early performance in Music City. In a feature on the team’s official NHL.com website, John Glennon writes that Arvidsson, after going undrafted on two separate occasions before finally going in the fourth-round of the 2014 entry draft, is exceeding any expectations associated with someone of that pedigree.

The Swedish winger saw significant action during the 2015-16 campaign, appearing in 56 regular season games and all 14 postseason contests, but only flashed his on-ice abilities. Arvidsson tallied just eight goals and 16 points last year but through 20 games this season, the 24-year-old has nearly matched that level of production with six goals and 13 points. He’s on pace to register 20-plus goals and eclipse the 50-point plateau, which is production commensurate with a top-six forward.

After going undrafted in both the 2012 and 2013 entry drafts, Arvidsson worked hard in his native Sweden to turn himself into an energy player:

“When I got up to the Elite League in Sweden, they wanted me to work on my strength and stamina so that I could play at a high level every game and every shift. I worked really hard, and I think it helped me a lot. Since then, I’ve been an energy player. Before that, I was kind of an average player.”

Glennon compares Arvidsson to a popular former Predator, tough guy winger Jordin Tootoo, in that despite playing different styles, there is a “buzz” generated when they are on the ice.

Earlier this season, Arvidsson graduated to the team’s top line with center Ryan Johansen and winger James Neal. He’s currently fifth on the club in scoring and second behind only Neal in shots on goal with 61.

Arvidsson is just another example that procuring NHL talent is an inexact science at best. Quality players often go undrafted but with hard work can become regulars in the NHL.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides updates on a couple of injured Blues. According to Rutherford, Alexander Steen returned to practice Saturday but it’s still unclear when he’ll return to action. Steen has missed the last five games due to an upper-body-injury. Meanwhile, the news is more optimistic for blue liner Joel Edmundson. He also returned to practice Saturday but Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock indicated the 23-year-old defender could be ready to return to game action next week.
  • After a 3 – 3 – 1 start to the campaign, the Chicago Blackhawks have turned their fortunes around, winning 11 of their last 16 decisions and accumulating 24 of a possible 32 standings points. This is despite boasting the league’s worst penalty kill, which allows nearly three goals for every 10 opportunities. The team has fared much better at even strength with a +13 goal differential in five-on-five man situations. But, as Chris Hine writes for the Chicago Tribune, the team feels as if they need to be even better. Head coach John Quenneville believes the team needs to generate more offensive opportunities at even strength: “We haven’t given up much five-on-five, but we haven’t generated what we’re looking for. A lot of games we’re neutralized (five-on-five), be it the neutral zone or both zones.”
  • Lastly, Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News discusses the juggling that Stars head coach Lindy Ruff is having to do with the team’s blue line. Dallas has eight NHL-caliber defenders on the roster but obviously can only dress six on any given night. Johnny Oduya is currently on IR with a lower-body-injury but Ruff has still found it difficult to get Stephen Johns into the lineup. Consequently, the team assigned Johns to their AHL affiliate to get some game action this weekend. Johns scored three goals in two games for Texas, earning a quick recall to the big club. Meanwhile, Oduya appears to be nearing a return, according to Heika.

Roster Moves: Kuraly, Shaw

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The Boston Bruins have decided to change things up, after their 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that Sean Kuraly has been returned to the AHL after just four games. In five total this season, the 23-year old has yet to record a point, playing just eight minutes a night.

While Kuraly isn’t a core piece, the Bruins were hoping to get just a bit more from the former fifth-round pick. His big body and physical style may eventually slot into the bottom six, but for now he’ll return to Providence to play in the AHL.  The Bruins expect David Pastrnak to return tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

In Anaheim, the team has recalled Logan Shaw from the San Diego Gulls. This will mark Shaw’s debut in Anaheim after being acquired from Florida earlier this month. The team dealt Michael Sgarbossa for the 24-year old winger, hoping that he can slide into the fourth line for the majority of the season.

Playing in 53 NHL games last year, Shaw contributed 7 points. He also dressed for three of the Panthers’ playoff matches, but was held without a point. At the time of his acquisition, Ducks’ head coach Randy Carlyle said that he could “play right side or center”.

Snapshots: Prust, Lindbohm, Pastrnak

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News and notes from around the NHL this afternoon:

  • Brandon Prust is close—but not final—on a deal to play in the DEL in Germany this year, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. Prust’s agent Claude Lemieux says that Prust is waiting on a potential deal from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Le Journal de Montreal first broke the story (link in French) that Prust had a deal lined up but Prust is still angling for one last shot at an AHL position. Prust signed a PTO with the Toronto this preseason but failed to make the cut.
  • The St. Louis Blues have reassigned forward Petteri Lindbohm to the AHL Chicago Wolves today. He did not impress in his five-game stint with the club, averaging 12 minutes a night and failing to register a point. The Finnish defenseman was looking to make the next step in his young career, but he’ll have to refine his game a bit more in the AHL.
  • The Boston Bruins announced that forward David Pastrnak will return tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Pastrnak missed the last three games with an upper body injury, but still leads the Bruins with 10 goals. He has 10G and 4A in 14 games so far this season. Pastrnak is on the final year of his ELC and will see a significant raise on an RFA deal next year if he maintains his production.

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