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Overseas Notes: Puljujarvi, Okulov, Postma

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There has certainly been no lack of attention paid to the ongoing saga between Jesse Puljujarvi and the Edmonton Oilers. The young forward is a restricted free agent playing in his native Finland this season rather than with his NHL club and both sides seem open to a trade. If Puljujarvi does not sign by December 1st, he cannot play in the NHL this season, so the timeline for a deal to be made is down to less than a month. However, there have been recent rumors that perhaps Puljujarvi could in fact return to Edmonton. After all, the Oilers are off to a hot start and Puljujarvi himself is playing well for Karpat in the Liiga and the two sides may be more amenable to an agreement. That is at least what Oilers GM Ken Holland hopes, as he heads overseas for the Karjala Cup, in part to negotiate with Puljujarvi. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the player side is not as keen on a reunion. Agent Markus Lehto reiterated that, despite the performance of the Oilers so far this season, Puljujarvi’s focus remains on finding a fresh start in the NHL:

Jesse’s unwillingness to return has nothing to do with current coaches, management, the team, fans or the city. Like I have said multiple times, Jesse has just asked for a change of scenery and to get a fresh start somewhere else. Nothing wrong with that considering the past three seasons. It is very difficult for me to see that he would return there all of a sudden now…. If things don’t work out now with the right team and best possible fit, there is nothing wrong (with playing) the whole season in Europe.

  • Another big name taking part in the Karjala Cup is CSKA Moscow forward Konstantin Okulov. Okulov’s name has already been a fixture in the rumor mill this year as a player being eyed by a number of team’s as a free agent addition this off-season. The 24-year-old Russian has 14 points in 23 games thus far and recorded 31 points in 48 games in the KHL last year. While Okulov has been most frequently linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that has become known for poaching Russian talent, Friedman states that the rival Montreal Canadiens are actually considered the front-runners for the talented forward. He adds that with Holland in attendance at the tournament, the Oilers will likely take a run at Okulov as well.
  • Paul Postma has finally found a new job in Europe. The veteran defenseman began the year with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk, but left the club early last month. The NLA’s HC Lugano has announced that they have now inked Postma to a contract for the remainder of the season. The capable two-way defenseman brings over 200 games of NHL experience to the Swiss club after showing last season with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL that he is even more of an asset in Europe. Lugano, typically a top contender in the NLA, is in the midst of a second straight underwhelming campaign and could use the help. Postma will face high expectations when he debuts for a team in great need of a game-breaking talent.

Hurricanes, Sabres Shopping Defensemen

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The Carolina Hurricanes were seeking a top-nine forward when they traded away long-time defenseman Justin Faulk this summer. However, the best return they could find was a prospect forward, Dominik Bokk, and another established defenseman in Joel Edmundson from the St. Louis Blues. Now, the Hurricanes are more or less back in the same situation, trying to deal from their blue line depth for help up front. Even after moving Faulk and Calvin de Haan in the off-season, the additions of Edmundson, Jake Gardiner, and Gustav Forsling has created yet another logjam on defense. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Carolina is calling around to other teams and shopping veteran Trevor van Riemsdyk, as well as 23-year-old Haydn Fleury, who is no longer waiver-exempt, in hopes of landing a scoring forward in return.

However, they aren’t alone. LeBrun’s colleague Darren Dreger reports that the Buffalo Sabres are also making calls to dangle defenders in anticipation of their team getting healthy. Dreger states that Zach Bogosian and Marco Scandella will make their returns “right around the corner”, but first Buffalo will need to clear space. The red-hot Sabres likely want to avoid a major shake-up, such as moving the now-content Rasmus Ristolainen, but also likely aren’t keen to move recent additions like Brandon Montour and Colin Miller. The team can demote Lawrence Pilut and even Henri Jokiharju, but will still need to make room on the blue line. Dreger states that Buffalo is hoping to land both a top-six and bottom-six forward, so trading away a John Gilmour won’t get the job done. Bogosian, Scandella, and Jake McCabe seem like the most likely to be dealt at this point.

So who could take advantage of a market flush with capable defenders? Top contenders like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks are all struggling defensively this season and have the depth of forwards to swing a deal. The Minnesota Wild are known to be open to moving several forward and could pursue a defenseman that they see as a long-term fit. The same could be said for other struggling teams, especially those with intriguing impending free agents, such as the Los Angeles Kings (Tyler Toffoli) and New York Rangers (Chris Kreider). The Hurricanes’ and Sabres’ competition to make a deal may even lower the acquisition costs for any interested teams. The trade market appears to be heating up early this season and the odds of a deal – or several – before the holiday trade freeze are high.

Snapshots: Clifford, Senators, Tavares

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The Los Angeles Kings have made it clear over the last few seasons that they’re willing to part with some of their veteran names and Tyler Toffoli is the latest to be involved in trade rumors as he nears the end of his current contract. Not so fast for another pending free agent however, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column. The Kings will make teams “work” to convince them to trade Kyle Clifford, who has become an integral part of the leadership group in Los Angeles.

Clifford, 28, has never been relied upon to put the puck in the net much, but did record his best offensive season in 2018-19 with 11 goals and 21 points. He carries a $1.6MM cap hit through the end of this season and will be an unrestricted free agent without a new deal. Over 621 regular season games, Clifford has recorded 1,375 hits.

  • The Ottawa Senators haven’t really used the KHL as an avenue of acquiring organizational talent in the past, but Friedman notes that is changing. Notably, the team now has a substantial Russian contingent on the NHL team with Artem Anisimov, Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikita Zaitsev, a group that could potentially help a KHL player get acclimated to life in North America.
  • After seven games without their new captain, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have John Tavares back in the lineup tonight when they take on the Los Angeles Kings. The $11MM center will be reunited with linemate Mitch Marner, though Zach Hyman remains out for now as he continues to recover from major knee surgery.

Minor Transactions: 11/05/19

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No third period lead is safe when the Boston Bruins are on the ice this season, as three consecutive goals by their star players put the Pittsburgh Penguins to sleep last night. Brad Marchand had another five-point evening, making him and linemate David Pastrnak the two leading scorers in the NHL. They’ll be tested tonight on the second half of a back-to-back when they face the Montreal Canadiens, but nothing seems to be able to slow down the Bruins at this point. As they and the rest of the league prepare for a full night of NHL hockey, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Nic Petan from the minor leagues, giving them another option up front for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Petan had five points in two games for the Toronto Marlies, proving once again that he is too good for the AHL. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s getting back into the NHL lineup though, especially if John Tavares is returning tonight for the Maple Leafs, something that is likely but has yet to be confirmed.
  • The New York Islanders have brought back Otto Koivula recalling him from the minor leagues along with Seth Helgeson. Koivula didn’t get a chance to play in the NHL during his last recall, while Helgeson has also not been given an opportunity with the Islanders despite being part of the organization for the last several seasons. The Islanders take on the Ottawa Senators tonight, looking for their tenth consecutive win.
  • Kyle Capobianco is back with the Arizona Coyotes for the time being while they deal with injuries on defense. Jordan Oesterle took a shot to the head last night against the Edmonton Oilers and may be sitting out according to Craig Morgan of The Athletic, which may provide another opportunity for Capobianco to get into some NHL action. To make room, the team has returned Michael Chaput to the AHL.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Sam Lafferty from the minor leagues, giving them another body after they were forced to use assistant coach Mark Recchi at practice today. The Penguins can’t seem to get completely healthy, though Brian Dumoulin’s absence from practice today was so that he could spend some time with his newborn child.

Atlantic Notes: Hyman, Bobrovsky, Hainsey

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Zach Hyman has never been fully appreciated by Toronto fans over the years, but the forward, who has sat out all season so far after undergoing offseason knee surgery this summer, has been strangely missed as the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled out of the gate.

A favorite of head coach Mike Babcock due to his work ethic and attitude, Hyman is close to returning with many believing he might be ready to return this weekend. That hasn’t happened, but the winger believes he’ll be ready soon, according to The Star’s Kevin McGran. Hyman is traveling with the team, but there is no word on when he might be activated.

“Honestly, it’s not my decision,” he says. “I mean, I have a say in it, but we have a great medical staff, great therapists, great strength coaches, great doctors where you don’t make a decision by yourself.”

  • Wells Dusenbury of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes that despite the slow start of Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, head coach Joel Quenneville isn’t worried about the two-time Vezina Trophy winner. Bobrovsky, who signed a seven-year, $70MM contract this summer with Florida, hasn’t been too impressive in his first 11 appearances with the Panthers, posting a 5-2-3 record with a 3.71 GAA and a .873 save percentage, numbers that are second-to-last among goalies who have appeared in at least eight games. “I think the way we’re playing, he’s getting comfortable in how we play in front of him,” Quenneville said. “I think eventually the goals against is something we can improve as a group of defenseman in our team game. I think the second opportunities, whether we take more responsibility in that area, we can clean that up and help him.”
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that while the Ottawa Senators brought in defenseman Ron Hainsey over from Toronto this summer in free agency to fill a veteran defensive void in their lineup, there was a secondary reason as well. The scribe writes that one major benefit of having Hainsey around is having him mentor top prospect Erik Brannstrom in his rookie campaign. Hainsey has been paired with Brannstrom since the first day of training camp and the two have stayed together almost exclusively. “There’s been a lot of information thrown at him in a short amount of time in the (six weeks) since we went to training camp to now,” Hainsey said before facing the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at TD Garden. “In some situations in the game, it’s easy, it’s like, ‘Hey, maybe we should try to do it this way.’ Other times, it’s better for me to be quiet and let him go about his way. He’s got plenty of people and coaches giving him stuff 24/7 and it’s a lot for a young player to take in when you’re playing against the best players in the world. It’s not like we’ve been matched against the top guys, but we’ve been out against everybody at some point.”

John Tavares To Miss One More Game

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  • While the Maple Leafs were hoping to have center John Tavares back tonight, that won’t be the case. However, Tavares told reporters, including TSN’s Mark Masters, (Twitter link) that he hasn’t suffered a setback.  Instead, with Toronto being off until Tuesday, the team doctors have decided that an extra three days of rest would be most beneficial for him.

Doug Gilmour Leaves Kingston, Joins Maple Leafs

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One of the most celebrated Toronto Maple Leafs forwards of all-time is returning to the organization, as Doug Gilmour announced today that he is leaving the Kingston Frontenacs after more than a decade. Gilmour will leave his position as president of the OHL franchise to join the Maple Leafs as a community ambassador.

Serving in several different roles for Kingston over the last decade including head coach, general manager and president of hockey operations, Gilmour explained his decision to leave in a piece with Dan Robson of The Athletic (subscription required):

Now it’s time for a new opportunity, back in my other home — Toronto. I’m excited to spend more time with my family because they mean more to me than the game ever could. I’m proud to watch my two sons, Tyson and Jake, grow into incredible young men. I’m thrilled to be close to my eldest daughter Maddison, who lives with her beautiful family in the Niagara region. And I’m so fortunate to be able to spend more family time with Sonya and Victoria, who both amaze me every day.

Gilmour leaves the Frontenacs just as they enter an extremely exciting time, headlined by forward Shane Wright. The 15-year old Wright follows Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad, John Tavares and Sean Day as an exceptional status player allowed to enter the OHL a year early, and already has 11 points in 14 games for Kingston.

Though he actually played only 393 of his 1,474 career games with the Maple Leafs, Gilmour is revered in Toronto as one of the greatest players in franchise history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011, and his number 93 was retired by the Maple Leafs in 2016.

Minor Transactions: 11/01/19

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The ghouls and goblins are finished their annual haunt and we’re on to November in the NHL regular season. With the new month comes eight games, including a prime matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals for first place in the Eastern Conference. It has been a long time since Buffalo fans could say that about their team, but after a 9-2-2 start they sit among the elite in the NHL.

As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves leading up to tonight’s action:

  • The Capitals have recalled Liam O’Brien from the minor leagues, with Nic Dowd and Evgeny Kuznetsov dealing with minor injuries. O’Brien has three points in nine AHL games this season but hasn’t suited up for an NHL contest since 2017-18.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Nic Petan to the minor leagues, perhaps in preparation for John Tavares’ return. Petan actually cleared waivers just before the season started, meaning he can be one of the players Toronto removes from the roster without risking him to the rest of the league. The team had been trying to find a landing spot for Petan to give him a better opportunity, but that doesn’t appear to have worked so far.
  • C.J. Suess has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets, giving them another forward option as they start the weekend. Suess has one goal in eight games for the Manitoba Moose this year, and would be making his NHL debut if he gets into any game action with the Jets.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have flipped William Lagesson to the minor leagues while bringing up Colby Cave, who previously cleared waivers and has spent the last few weeks with the Bakersfield Condors.
  • The Buffalo Sabres’ top goalie prospect is ready to return to action. After beginning the season on the injured reserve, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has finally been cleared to play and has been reassigned to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones by the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The first-year pro will have to work his way up from the “AA” level, but given his dominance of both the OHL and World Junior Championship last year, that likely won’t be a problem.
  • Also returning to action is Carolina Hurricanes prospect Stelio Mattheos. After helping the Charlotte Checkers capture the Calder Cup last year, Mattheos was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent treatment this summer. The Checkers announced that he will officially return to the lineup on Friday night.
  • The AHL lists the Boston Bruins as recalling forward Peter Cehlarik from AHL Providence, although the team has not formally announced the move. This could be because of some doubts as to whether Brett Ritchie will be able to go on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. If he can, the Bruins would quietly return Cehlarik to the minors. If not, Providence’s leading scorer would be a candidate to replace Ritchie in the lineup, competing with David Backes and Par Lindholm. 

Toronto Maple Leafs Open To Trading Martin Marincin

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Though it may not come as much of a surprise, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be open to trading Martin Marincin. After starting the year on the Maple Leafs’ third pairing, Marincin was recently replaced by Kevin Gravel in the lineup and now Travis Dermott has returned from injury to take the spot full-time. That leaves Marincin sitting in the press box every night and even that may be short lived.

The Maple Leafs will likely have to send three players to the minor leagues when Zach Hyman returns from long-term injured reserve in the next few weeks, and Marincin is expected to be one of them. The 27-year old defenseman would need to clear waivers in order to report to the AHL however, at which point any team in the league would be able to claim him.

Like Nic Petan, who is also available according to Friedman, Marincin hasn’t been able to establish himself as a favorite of head coach Mike Babcock and now finds himself without a real future in Toronto. The Marlies of the AHL already have a loaded group of defensemen, meaning if GM Kyle Dubas and the Toronto front office can find any value on the trade market it would obviously be worth it.

Another way this may play out however is for Marincin to hit waivers when Hyman returns, only to clear and then be traded. He cleared waivers as recently as this February, and it would give any acquiring team much more flexibility. They could then send Marincin to their own minor league affiliate to keep as depth.

In any case, whether he is available or not there’s little chance he’ll provide a big return for the Maple Leafs. In 207 career NHL games he’s shown little ability to perform at a high level, providing most of his value on the penalty kill. He has 30 points in those games, but none this season.

Minor Transactions: 10/29/19

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After a relatively quiet night the NHL is back with a bang tonight, featuring nine games on the schedule. That includes a return for Bill Peters and the rest of the former Hurricanes when the Calgary Flames travel to Carolina and Ryan McDonagh leading the Tampa Bay Lightning back into his old barn at Madison Square Garden. As teams prepare for the action, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves around the hockey world.

  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Hicketts from the AHL, placing Justin Abdelkader on injured reserve to make room. Abdelkader’s stint is retroactive to October 23rd, but given their recent acquisition of Brendan Perlini they didn’t need to add another forward from the minor leagues.
  • Colin Blackwell has been recalled from the minor leagues by the Nashville Predators, giving the diminutive forward another shot in the NHL. Blackwell played six games for the Predators last season, but is still looking for his first point at the NHL level.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled prospect Carl Grundstrom, giving him another chance at the NHL level. Grundstrom has been running roughshod over the AHL so far this season, scoring five goals and seven points in four games. The second-round pick looks ready to contribute for the Kings, though how much ice time he’ll receive is unclear.
  • Travis Dermott has been activated from injured reserve as expected by the Toronto Maple Leafs, meaning they needed to make one roster move to clear room. Kevin Gravel is that move, as he’s on the way to the AHL after playing in the last few contests for Toronto. Dermott is back from offseason shoulder surgery and will try to help the spinning Maple Leafs regain control of their season.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have activated Adam Erne from injured reserve, sending Evgeny Svechnikov back to the minor leagues. Svechnikov will have to wait for his first chance to play his younger brother, unless of course he is recalled again before Friday’s matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes.
  • William Borgen is on his way back to the Rochester Americans once again, the fourth transaction of the last five days for the young defenseman. Borgen has actually not played a single game for the Buffalo Sabres this season, but is being used as insurance as they deal with some injuries.

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