- Martin Marincin’s frequent travelling between the Maple Leafs and the AHL Marlies continues as Toronto announced (via Twitter) that they’ve sent the blueliner along with center Adam Brooks back to the minors. It’s the fifth demotion for Marincin since November 29th. The two have been serving as injury insurance but will get an opportunity to get back into game action today at the minor league level. While they weren’t up under emergency conditions, they were on regular recall after December 11th making them eligible to be demoted despite the roster freeze.
Maple Leafs Rumors
Snapshots: Scott, Belzile, Girard
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that goaltending prospect Ian Scott will be out for six months following hip surgery, an unfortunate outcome in what was supposed to be his first professional season. The reigning CHL Goaltender of the Year, Scott hasn’t played a single game for the Toronto Marlies or Newfoundland Growlers this season.
Toronto has been desperately trying to find an answer for their backup goaltending position this season, but there is still a huge gap between Scott, fellow prospect Joseph Woll and starter Frederik Andersen. Michael Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo have been used, but neither one has secured a single win this season. Scott is expected to be ready for training camp, but missing an entire season of development isn’t ideal.
- The Montreal Canadiens have their own injured minor leaguer, as today it was announced that Alex Belzile will miss six months following pectoral surgery. Belzile has played in 20 games for the Laval Rocket this season and has 14 points, but will be shut down at this point. Charles Hudon is also dealing with a lower-body injury and will not travel with the Rocket.
- Samuel Girard has escaped suspension after sending Alex DeBrincat flying last night, instead earning just a fine from the Department of Player Safety. Girard will pay $1,957.89, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding DeBrincat.
Minor Transactions: 12/19/19
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.
Snapshots: Copp, Seabrook, Mikheyev
The Winnipeg Jets have announced that Andrew Copp is out on a week-to-week basis with an upper-body injury, ruling him out until after Christmas at the earliest. The 25-year old Copp left last night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes after a collision with Jordan Staal. Jets head coach Paul Maurice told reporters today including Ken Wiebe of The Athletic that the injury is not a concussion, but that more tests needed to be completed to understand the severity.
Copp has 14 points in 34 games this season and once again has been an integral part of the Jets’ penalty killing efforts, averaging more short-handed ice time than any forward other than Adam Lowry. Winnipeg has been struck by the injury bug several times this season, but right now are stretching their depth up front very thin.
- Good news for Chicago Blackhawks fans is bad news for Brent Seabrook. Duncan Keith will return tonight for the Blackhawks, meaning someone else had to come out of the lineup. That’s going to be Seabrook, who will be healthy scratched for the third time this season. The 34-year old Seabrook still has four more years on his current contract with the Blackhawks after 2019-20 and carries a $6.875MM cap hit.
- Ilya Mikheyev has scored in consecutive games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and now has six goals and 19 points through 35 games. That’s more than anyone could have expected from him in his first year in North America, but the Maple Leafs weren’t the only team that saw a future for the speedy winger when he was playing in the KHL. In fact, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that about 20 teams showed interest in Mikheyev before he chose Toronto, suggesting that Chicago and the Vegas Golden Knights were among those who pursued him the hardest. Mikheyev is on just a one-year entry-level contract with Toronto and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Minor Transactions: 12/18/19
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
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.
Prospect Notes: Clague, Romanov, Bilyalov
The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Kale Clague for the first time in his career, reassigning Paul Ladue to the Ontario Reign in the meantime. Clague, 21, is in his second professional season with the Kings organization after an outstanding junior career that saw him win two medals at the World Juniors (one gold, one silver as part of Team Canada), gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament and earn the WHL Top Defenseman award in 2018.
The left-handed Clague was selected 51st overall in 2016 but has found plenty of success so far with Ontario, scoring 44 points in 79 games over his first two seasons. Though there is still room for development in the young defenseman, he’ll get a crack at the NHL for the first time.
- Speaking of young defense prospects, the Montreal Canadiens seem confident that Alexander Romanov will indeed come over to join their organization after his KHL contract ends this season. That’s what GM Marc Bergevin expressed to reporters today after recently visiting with Romanov in Russia. The 19-year old is under contract through April 2020 with CSKA Moscow.
- That’s not the only young KHL player who might be coming to the Atlantic Division. Luke Fox of Sportsnet reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have shown interest in KHL goaltender Timur Bilyalov. The 5’10” netminder has been outstanding this season for Kazan Ak-Bars, posting a .957 save percentage through 16 games. He’ll turn 25 before the end of this season, but could potentially add some depth to a Maple Leafs goaltending depth chart that currently has a sizable gap between starter Frederik Andersen and 21-year old top prospect Joseph Woll.
Minor Transactions: 12/16/19
Another week begins in the NHL with five games this evening, including two top tier Western Conference matchups. The St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche battle for the top seed in the Central Division, while the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars try to keep pace with the rest of their divisions. As always we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled J.C. Beaudin and Erik Brannstrom from the minor leagues, as they prepare for action against the Florida Panthers tonight. Brannstrom, the big return for Mark Stone last season, has now played in 23 games this season with the Senators and has two points.
- Martin Marincin and Timothy Liljregren have both been recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs, raising concern about the injury Tyson Barrie sustained over the weekend. X-rays on Barrie’s ankle were negative, but both defensemen have been recalled under emergency conditions. Liljegren, 20, would be playing in his first NHL game if he suits up for the Maple Leafs.
- Tom Kuhnhackl has been recalled by the New York Islanders, after playing in four games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The veteran forward is still looking for his first NHL point of the season after playing in six games earlier this year.
- The Vancouver Canucks have swapped Guillaume Brisebois for Jalen Chatfield again, with the latter coming to the NHL today. Chatfield has still not made his debut with the Canucks yet, despite being recalled every few days this month.
- Sam Carrick and Jacob Larsson have both been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks, while Josh Mahura is on his way back to the AHL. The 22-year old Larsson has played 25 games with the Ducks this season, but found himself demoted to the minor leagues at the beginning of the month.
- The Minnesota Wild have announced a flurry of moves, highlighted by the placement of Joel Eriksson Ek on injured reserve. The young center has been sidelined recently, but he will officially take a seat for the next ten days or more as he nurses an upper-body injury. Fortunately, the Wild have been getting healthier elsewhere in the lineup, with starting goalie Devan Dubnyk among those slated for a return. As a result, young Kaapo Kahkonen has been reassigned to AHL Iowa. Filling the two newly vacated roster spots are forwards Nico Sturm and Luke Johnson. Sturm, a highly sought-after college free agent last year, has been a solid two-way contributor in the AHL this season. Johnson has been limited by injury to just ten AHL games this year, but returns to Minnesota after playing in 15 games with the Wild last season.
- In one of the more common moves of this season so far, Brian Gibbons is on the move again, this time going to Carolina from AHL Charlotte. The veteran forward has been back and forth all year, logging 13 games wth the Hurricanes and 14 with the Checkers.
Toronto Maple Leafs Loan Rasmus Sandin To Team Sweden
Despite some question as to his availability, the Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to loan young defenseman Rasmus Sandin to Team Sweden for the World Junior Championship after all. Sandin will return to the tournament after recording four points in five games for the Swedish entry last year.
After Maple Leafs defenseman Tyson Barrie suffered an injury on Saturday night, there were reports that Sandin may need to be called up to Toronto if the ailment proved serious. Sandin began the year with the Leafs, recording two points in six games, but the team opted to send him to the AHL Marlies where he could be guaranteed ice time and special teams responsibilities. Yet, he still remains one of the club’s top call-up options in case of injury. There has been no word on Barrie’s status yet, but clearly the team felt they could deal with any potential absence without Sandin’s assistance.
Sandin has played well in his second pro season, registering two goals and 12 points in 18 games with the Marlies. The 2018 first-round pick projects to be a top-four defenseman down the road, but for now the team does not need to rush him at the expense of proper development. Playing in hte WJC against similarly skilled young prospects will be another great opportunity for growth for Sandin. It will also give he and several teammates for Sweden a chance at redemption, after the team was stunned in the quarterfinals last season after entering the tournament as the favorites.
Minor Transactions: 12/15/19
After a full slate of game Saturday night, the NHL quiets down on Sunday with just eight teams in action. Regardless, many teams will start making moves before the league’s Holiday Roster Freeze that kicks in on Thursday, Dec. 19. Keep your eyes this transaction page throughout the day to catch every team’s moves:
- The Carolina Hurricanes announced they have assigned forward Julien Gauthier to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 22-year old and former first-round pick in 2016 picked up his first career NHL point Saturday in Carolina’s victory over Calgary. Gauthier has fared well in the AHL this season with 10 goals in 22 games after a 27-goal season a year ago. He has now five NHL games to his career.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced they have recalled center Lukas Vejdemo from the Laval Rocket of the AHL, while re-assigning defenseman Otto Leskinen. Vejdemo is the Rocket’s second-leading scorer with eight goals and 16 points. The 23-year-old is in his second season in North America, having scored 13 goals and 29 points last season and looks to be exceeding that mark. If he can get into a game, it will be his NHL debut. Leskinen made his NHL debut on Dec. 5 and played in five games with Montreal. He failed to record a point in that time, but did contribute 13 hits.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they loaned forward Pontus Aberg and defenseman Martin Marincin to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. While the move could be just a simple paper transaction, it’s also possible the team hopes it can get back forward Trevor Moore, which would require the move.
- CapFriendly reports that the New Jersey Devils have assigned center Michael McLeod to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL. McLeod had an impressive performance Saturday in the Devils’ victory over Arizona. Playing center for the team for the first time ever, the 21-year-old picked up two assists and a plus-two rating in the game, suggesting he might be ready for more extensive callups at a later time. McLeod has 13 points in 24 games with Binghamton.
- The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark reports that the Colorado Avalanche have recalled defenseman Anton Lindholm from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Lindholm will fill in for defenseman Cale Makar, who was recently put on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Lindholm has appeared in 23 games with the Eagles, scoring one goal and two points.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the have assigned forward Mitchell Stephens to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The 22-year-old forward made his NHL debut on Dec. 9 and has appeared in four games. While he didn’t register a point, Stephens was useful in the faceoff circle where he 18-of-26 (69.2 percent). He will return to the Crunch where he had five goals and 10 points this season.
- The Vancouver Canucks have activated forward Tyler Motte from injured reserve and made space for him by assigning forward Zack MacEwen to the Utica Comets, the team announced. Motte suffered a lower-body injury on Oct. 25 and was expected to be out for four weeks. It’s taken quite a bit longer, but the 24-year-old is expected to join the team. He has only appeared in six games for the Canucks this season with one assist. The 23-year-old MacEwen has appeared in eight games with Vancouver, posting a goal and an assist.
- As the Ottawa Senators continue to shuffle young players to and from the NHL, the latest move comes with Jonathan Davidsson being returned to AHL Belleville. Davidsson, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, has played in six games with Ottawa this season, recording just one point. He has four points in eleven games with Belleville and, in just his first season in North American, will benefit more from a large role in the AHL. than his limited action with Ottwa.