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Jets Activate Gabriel Vilardi

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The Winnipeg Jets activated forward Gabriel Vilardi off injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. Head coach Rick Bowness told reporters this morning, including Jets radio commentator Mitchell Clinton, that Vilardi will be a game-time decision tonight against the Oilers.

Vilardi, 24, had missed the past six weeks and 19 games with an MCL sprain sustained in the Jets’ third game of the season. Vilardi, who had notched one assist in his first two games as a Jet, was injured early in an October 17 contest against the Kings, his former team.

More to come…

Avalanche Recall Sam Malinski

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The Colorado Avalanche recalled defenseman Sam Malinski from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on Thursday, per a team announcement. Malinski, 25, comes to the NHL roster to be injury insurance for the team’s upcoming three-game road swing through the southwestern United States.

Colorado is without defenseman Samuel Girard as he undergoes treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, which has allowed players like Malinski and Caleb Jones to slide into the lineup. Jones seems to have won out a spot as the team’s de facto seventh defenseman, playing in eight straight games while logging an assist and a +4 rating.

Meanwhile, Malinski has just one appearance this season, his first in the NHL. The undrafted free agent signing out of Cornell in March logged a +1 rating, one shot on goal, and one hit in 12:02 of ice time against the Kraken on November 13.

The Lakeville, Minnesota-born defender may not have ideal size for the pros, standing at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. However, his transition to professional life in the AHL has been rather smooth. Malinski has picked up where he left off after a strong showing with the Eagles to close out 2023, sitting tied for third on the team in scoring with nine points in 17 contests.

Malinski is under contract for one season after this at a cap hit of $850K. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in the summer of 2025.

Blue Jackets Recall Kent Johnson, Place Damon Severson On IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets brought top forward prospect Kent Johnson back up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on Thursday, per a team release. To make room on the roster, defenseman Damon Severson has been placed on injured reserve. He is one week into a six-week recovery timeline from an oblique injury.

This season started on a rough note for Johnson, Columbus’ fifth-overall pick in the 2021 draft. He was scratched by head coach Pascal Vincent for the team’s season opener and received minimal ice time when reinstated into the lineup, posting three points in eight games while averaging 12:49 per contest.

After being a healthy scratch twice in the Blue Jackets’ first ten games, there was another blow: Columbus opted to send him to the minors for the first time in his career. It was an unexpected move after the 21-year-old notched 16 goals and 40 points in 79 games during his rookie season last year.

The versatile, skillful forward quickly showed he didn’t belong at a lower level of play. Through ten games with the Monsters, Johnson registered five goals and ten assists for 15 points, positioning himself as second on the team in points despite missing seven out of 17 games while on the NHL roster.

In the final season of his entry-level contract, Johnson will make his case to stay on the Blue Jackets roster for the remainder of the season. The pending restricted free agent will not have arbitration rights next summer and is owed a qualifying offer of $874,125.

In his draft year, Elite Prospects labeled Johnson an “artist” with the puck and listed him as the tenth-best prospect available. Dobber Prospects lists Johnson as the second-best forward prospect in the Columbus system behind 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli, who has a respectable ten points in 24 games to kick off his NHL career.

Severson’s recovery remains status quo as he’s not expected to begin skating for a while yet. He remains on track to return to the lineup around New Year’s Day.

Kraken Place Jaden Schwartz On Injured Reserve

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The Seattle Kraken placed winger Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve Thursday morning, per CapFriendly. Schwartz left Tuesday’s game against the Blackhawks with a lower-body injury and did not return.

The move indicates Schwartz will miss at least seven days after sustaining the injury earlier in the week. Therefore, he has been ruled out of the Kraken’s next three games. The earliest he is eligible to return to the lineup is Thursday, December 7, against the Devils.

Schwartz, 31, had no points in his last five games after starting the season with eight goals, seven assists and 15 points in 18 games. Those 15 points remain tied for third on the team behind winger Oliver Bjorkstrand and defenseman Vince Dunn.

The Kraken have once again gotten solid depth production throughout their top nine, but the lack of a true superstar is beginning to haunt them after last season’s solid run. They sit with an 8-10-5 record and 21 points, fifth in the Pacific Division and three spots back of a Wild Card berth in the Western Conference.

Missing Schwartz certainly won’t help matters. He’s logged significant minutes for the team, averaging 17:15 per game, and his 53-point pace would be his highest total in five years. Despite the heavy usage and strong production, his possession numbers have left much to be desired – his 47.7% Corsi share is the worst among Kraken skaters with at least ten games played.

With Schwartz unavailable, recent call-up Marián Studenič will likely make his season debut tonight against the Maple Leafs. Moving Schwartz to IR opens up a roster spot for an additional recall from AHL Coachella Valley if the team wishes. They’re left with only 12 healthy forwards as Brandon Tanev remains sidelined with his second lower-body injury of the season but is still on the 23-man roster.

Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie, Mark Giordano Out Week-To-Week

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10:30 a.m.: Giordano is now listed as week-to-week, head coach Sheldon Keefe informed reporters this morning (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN). He’ll miss significantly more time than just tonight’s contest, meaning Lajoie will likely stick around on the NHL roster for quite a while. Expect the Maple Leafs to paper him up and down from the AHL in the coming days to extend his waiver-exempt status.

9:34 a.m.: The Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Maxime Lajoie from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies Thursday morning, per a team announcement. He comes to the NHL roster after Mark Giordano sustained a hand injury in Tuesday’s shootout win over the Panthers.

Giordano has not been placed on IR. He’s only been ruled out of tonight’s contest against the Kraken at a minimum, and it’s unclear how much additional time (if any) he’ll miss. With ample cap space for a recall, given they have $3.1MM remaining of LTIR relief, no corresponding transaction needs to be made to bring Lajoie up to the NHL.

Lajoie is not expected to draw into the lineup tonight. Instead, he’ll likely serve as a healthy scratch while Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins comprise Toronto’s third pairing. William Lagesson is projected to slide into top-four duties to play alongside Jake McCabe, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays. John Klingberg and Timothy Liljegren remain on long-term injured reserve.

This is Lajoie’s second recall of the season after signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency and subsequently clearing waivers in October. The 26-year-old has 71 NHL games to his name, although he’s failed to play over ten games in a season since his 56-game rookie campaign with the Senators in 2018-19.

A strong skater and minor-league point producer, Lajoie spent the last three seasons in the Hurricanes organization, primarily with their AHL affiliate at the time, the Chicago Wolves. Last season, he captained the squad and posted 11 goals, 34 assists, 45 points, and a -2 rating in 63 games.

His start in the Maple Leafs organization has been underwhelming, recording five assists and a +4 rating through 14 games. Lajoie’s lone NHL appearance in 2023-24 came November 4 against the Sabres, recording a -1 rating, one shot attempt, and one hit in just 4:54 of ice time. He will not need waivers to return to the Marlies if his recall lasts less than 25 days and he plays less than nine games.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Jordan Gustafson To Entry-Level Contract

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The Vegas Golden Knights announce they have come to an agreement on a three-year, entry-level contract with forward Jordan Gustafson. Gustafson was originally drafted 79th overall by the Golden Knights in the 2022 NHL Draft and is currently playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.

Although he is still only 19 years old, Gustafson is now in his fourth season with the Thunderbirds, a major junior career that has been productive in more ways than one. In a total of 130 regular season games played for Seattle, Gustafson has scored 43 goals and 59 assists, while managing an extremely impressive +39 rating.

His best performance in the WHL playoffs came back in the 2021-22 season, as the fourth-seeded Thunderbirds went 12-7 en route to the WHL Finals, losing to the Edmonton Oil Kings in six games. During that run to the finals, Gustafson would score four goals, and assisted on 12, while carrying a +9 rating through the playoff stretch.

Not only has Gustafson shown that he can score at a respectable rate at the junior level, but he plays well in all three zones. Showcasing his skillset mostly in the neutral zone, Gustafson has shown the ability to be a very productive off-puck player throughout his career in the WHL.

Canucks Recall Matt Irwin and Linus Karlsson, Send Akito Hirose Down

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Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin shared that the team has recalled Matt Irwin and Linus Karlsson, while sending defenseman Akito Hirose to the AHL.

Irwin is the only one of the trio to not yet appear in the NHL this season. He’s instead spent 13 games in the AHL, scoring two points and recording 10 penalty minutes. Irwin is in his first season with the Canucks organization, signing a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the team on July 1st. Vancouver becomes the seventh franchise that Irwin has been a part of throughout his 11-year career. The 36-year-old defender was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Jose Sharks following his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts in 2010. He has totaled 461 career NHL games, scoring 93 points and recording 211 penalty minutes. He’s also appeared in 262 AHL games and scored 121 points. This season marks the first time that Irwin has played in the AHL since 2016-17 when he appeared in four games with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Karlsson has only played in one NHL game this season, going without a point but recording a +1. He’s also managed 17 AHL games, where he’s scored 15 points, a mark that ranks second on the Abbotsford Canucks. Karlsson joined the Canucks via trade from the San Jose Sharks in 2019, with Vancouver sending Jonathan Dahlen the other way. Karlsson signed his entry-level deal with Vancouver last season. The 24-year-old Karlsson was originally drafted in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Sharks.

These roster moves swap Irwin into the seventh defenseman role that was previously held by Hirose. Hirose has played in three NHL games and 11 AHL games this season and is still looking for his first point of the year in either league. The Canucks signed the 24-year-old at the end of Minnesota State University-Mankato’s 2022-23 season. He appeared in seven NHL games last year, scoring three points, and made his AHL debut this season.

Sabres Send Jiri Kulich To AHL, Jordan Greenway Set To Return

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The Buffalo Sabres have shared that Jordan Greenway is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday when the team takes on the St. Louis Blues. Greenway’s return required a player to be sent down, with Buffalo choosing to return rookie Jiri Kulich to the AHL. This move solidifies fellow rookie Isak Rosen’s spot in the NHL lineup for the short term, with Brandon Biro’s recent recall providing additional depth.

Greenway has missed a week of action due to personal reasons. He’s played in 19 games so far this season, recording two goals and six points. He’s also tallied 19 penalty minutes, ranking fourth on the Sabres roster in the stat. Greenway is in his first full season with the Sabres, joining the team midway through last season via trade. Greenway had previously spent six seasons with the Minnesota Wild, recording 317 games, 119 points, and 227 penalty minutes with the club.

Kulich and Rosen both made their NHL debut on November 25th. Neither player has scored their first NHL point yet, although Rosen did earn one more game than Kulich, slotting into the team’s most recent matchup. The duo has proven incredibly productive in the AHL, serving as the top two scoring leaders for the Rochester Americans. Rosen has scored eight goals and 19 points in 16 AHL games, while Kulich has netted 11 goals and 17 points in the same amount of games.

Biro ranks third in scoring at Rochester, with 12 points in 10 games. He has also played in two NHL games this season, netting his first two NHL goals and recording a +1. Biro signed with the Sabres as an undrafted free agent in 2020, following the conclusion of Penn State University’s 2019-20 season.

Flames Recall Jordan Oesterle

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The Calgary Flames have recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the NHL. Oesterle has played in 12 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers so far this season, netting eight assists, two penalty minutes, and a -2. He’s also appeared in four games with the Flames this season, going without a point and recording a -2.

Oesterle is in his first season with the Flames, signing a one-year, $925K contract with the club in July. The Flames become the fifth franchise that Oesterle has been a part of, previously spending time with the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, and Detroit Red Wings. He’s totaled 353 career NHL games and scored 84 career points. He’s served as a role player for much of his career, with the 71 games he played in the 2018-19 season representing the most he’s played in one year. That season also marked Oesterle’s highest single-season scoring, with six goals and 20 points.

Oesterle signed with the Edmonton Oilers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, following the conclusion of his junior year at Western Michigan University. He received his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season, playing in six of the 25 games that he would total with the Oilers organization. After leaving Edmonton, Oesterle joined the Blackhawks, who traded him to the Arizona Coyotes alongside Marian Hossa and Vinnie Hinostroza.

Oesterle joins Nick DeSimone as an extra defenseman on the Flames roster. DeSimone has played in eight games with the Flames this season, recording four assists. He has also recorded four assists in six AHL games this year.

Minor Transactions: 11/29/23

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NHL player movement is beginning to heat up, as just yesterday featured a major free-agent signing as well as a former 20-goal scorer being traded. Player movement in the wider world of professional hockey mirrors that activity, especially yesterday in the KHL. As always, we’ll keep track of notable transactions from minor and overseas leagues here:

  • 2014 Colorado Avalanche first-round pick Conner Bleackley was released from his ECHL team yesterday. The 27-year-old Canadian forward was playing for the Rapid City Rush this season, but had only managed to score three points in 13 ECHL games. Prior to this season, Bleackley had played two consecutive campaigns for the Maine Mariners, scoring 15 goals and 38 points in 98 games. Once nearly a point-per-game ECHLer with the Tulsa Oilers, Bleackley’s scoring numbers have dried up and his AHL call-up opportunities have dried up as well, as he hasn’t played at the game’s second-highest level since 2019-20.
  • In the KHL, a one-for-one trade occurred involving two players who each were once part of an NHL organization. The Kunlun Red Star dealt Cliff Pu to Admiral Vladivostok, with the Chinese club receiving center Tyler Graovac in return. Graovac, 30, is a center with 84 games of NHL experience and two seasons under his belt in the AHL where he scored at least 20 goals. He hadn’t made much of an offensive impact for Vladivostok, though, registering just four points in 20 games. Pu, 25, is a winger who once scored 86 points in the OHL and was part of the trade that sent Jeff Skinner to Buffalo. He scored 11 goals and 20 points in 41 KHL games last season and will now leave China for Russia having scored nine points in 29 games this year.
  • The Red Star also dealt one of their alternate captains, Zac Leslie, to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk for cash compensation. Leslie, 29, is a former Los Angeles Kings prospect and OHL champion who has spent the last two years in the KHL, entirely with Kunlun. He had an impressive rookie KHL season in 2022-23, scoring 39 points in 65 games. This season, he’s only managed seven points in 30 games as the team has elected to complete a change-of-scenery trade that will send him all the way west into Tatarstan.
  • Continuing what has been an extremely busy day for the KHL’s Chinese side, the club has also signed former NHLer Gemel Smith to a one-year deal. Now 29 years old, Smith last played in the NHL in 2021-22, when he received three games played with the Detroit Red Wings. After spending last year entirely in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch (37 points in 35 games) and Henderson Silver Knights (16 points in 19 games) Smith decided to parlay has exemplary AHL production and physical style into what was potentially a lucrative KHL deal with Dynamo Minsk. He hasn’t had the start with Minsk that he’d likely have wanted, though, scoring four goals and five points in 15 games. Smith and Minsk agreed on a mutual contract termination on November 17th, and now Smith has his landing spot for where he’ll attempt to revive his rookie KHL campaign.
  • Former 54-point NHLer Peter Mueller will not continue with the Czech club he’s currently playing for, HC Vítkovice. Although the 35-year-old Minnesota native was once the leading scorer of the Czech Extraliga and is pulling his weight this year with 13 points in 17 games, Vítkovice have struggled mightily. They’re currently tied for last place in the Czech Extraliga with a 5-12-2 record. With the club in an increasingly dire situation in the standings, they will now have to cope with the loss of one of their leading offensive talents.
  • Drake Rymsha, a former Los Angeles Kings forward, has transferred from Slovakia’s HKM Zvolen to the ICEHL’s Red Bull Salzburg. A former OHL star with the Sarnia Sting, Rymsha was excellent in the ECHL last season scoring 24 goals and 58 points in 58 games. He parlayed that ECHL success into a shot in the Slovak Extraliga with Zvolen, and has provided strong early results with seven points in six games. That’s been enough for Salzburg to take a shot on the forward, who now has a chance to join the reigning back-to-back ICEHL champions.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

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