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Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire David Savard

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Official now, the Tampa Bay Lightning have nabbed one of the best rentals on the market. The team has acquired David Savard as part of a three-team deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings.

  • To Lightning: David Savard, Brian Lashoff
  • To Blue Jackets: 2021 first-round pick (TBL), 2022 third-round pick (TBL)
  • To Red Wings: 2021 fourth-round pick (TBL)

Columbus and Detroit will both be retaining part of Savard’s $4.25MM cap hit. Columbus retained 50% of the contract in the first deal with Detroit, and then the Red Wings retained an additional 50% of what remained. That leaves the Lightning carrying just 25% of the $4.25MM, or $1.0625MM.

Three picks may seem like a lot to give up for a player on an expiring contract, but it was required in order to facilitate the salary retention. The Lightning now add a top-four defenseman that they can fit into their tight salary cap structure. GM Julien BriseBois is making something of a mockery of the cap system, as the Lightning are nearly $18MM over the cap ceiling thanks to their huge amount of salary on long-term injured reserve. Nikita Kucherov, who makes up $9.5MM of that LTIR salary, is expected back for the playoffs once the cap ceiling is no longer used.

This move, just like the other maneuvering the Lightning have done this season, pushes the limit of the CBA but has actually been done before. Last season the Toronto Maple Leafs were involved in the trade that sent Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Vegas Golden Knights, retaining salary along the way in exchange for a draft pick. Like Tampa Bay, the Maple Leafs were deep into LTIR, meaning it didn’t really affect their cap situation by taking on some retained salary.

The outside-the-box thinking in Tampa Bay didn’t start with BriseBois. Former GM Steve Yzerman, who is now running the Red Wings, was known for his creative trade work; once again, he’s pulled off a deal to net an asset without giving up much of anything. Detroit gets a fourth-round pick just for a small salary commitment, but getting Lashoff and his $325K minor league guarantee off the books basically evens things out. The 30-year-old defenseman shouldn’t play much of a role for the Crunch and it wouldn’t even be surprising to see him loaned back to the Grand Rapids Griffins where he has played this season.

For Columbus, cashing in on Savard was a necessary move for GM Jarmo Kekalainen after the season did not go his way. The Blue Jackets have struggled for much of the year and it seemed unlikely that the team would re-sign Savard with other negotiations coming up. Landing a first and third for him should be considered a huge win, even if they will likely be extremely late picks thanks to Tampa Bay’s strong performance. Columbus has begun to start restocking the cupboard that was left so bare when they went all-in for the end of the 2019 season, acquiring the likes of Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel.

All three teams seem to come out ahead in this deal, not something that can often be said at the NHL trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/10/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

Central Division

North Division

  • As expected, Alex Formenton is back up with Ottawa as the Senators announced that they’ve recalled him from the taxi squad. The winger has two goals in seven games since being recalled in late March.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Lukas Vejdemo to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. Vejdemo is currently injured but his recall was needed to keep the taxi squad at the minimum of four players with Cayden Primeau, Jake Evans, and Otto Leskinen expected to be recalled for their game against Winnipeg.
  • The Maple Leafs have recalled Michael Hutchinson from the taxi squad and Martin Marincin from AHL Toronto, per CapFriendly. Hutchinson will continue to serve as the backup goalie with Frederik Andersen retroactively placed on LTIR while Marincin gives them an extra blueliner to carry on the active roster.  With the team in LTIR, they can afford to carry reserves instead of a minimum-sized group.

East Division

  • The Sabres announced that they have recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea to the taxi squad from AHL Rochester while assigning Steven Fogarty to the Americans. Dea has played just once so far with Buffalo while Fogarty has suited up in eight games, notching a goal and two assists.
  • The Devils have shuffled up their taxi squad, sending Ben Street to AHL Binghamton while promoting Marian Studenic, per the AHL’s transactions log. Studenic has seven points in 19 minor league games so far this season.

West Division

 

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Avalanche Acquire Devan Dubnyk From Sharks

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Colorado has been in need of a veteran backup goalie for most of the season and they have found one as they have acquired Devan Dubnyk from San Jose in exchange for defenseman Greg Pateryn and a 2021 fifth-round pick.  Both teams have confirmed the deal.  Sharks GM Doug Wilson released the following statement on the move:

Devan brought the element of consummate professionalism and class to our dressing room, in what has been an extremely unique and challenging season. He fit seamlessly within our group and helped mentor many of our younger players. We thank him for his contributions to our club on and off the ice this season and wish him the best in Colorado.

The 34-year-old netminder was in his first season with the Sharks following an offseason trade from Minnesota that San Jose was hoping would help him rediscover his form from a few years ago.  However, that didn’t happen as Dubnyk has posted a 3.18 GAA with a save percentage of just .898, numbers that weren’t much better than his final year with the Wild.

Nevertheless, the move to bring Dubnyk in makes sense from the perspective of the Avs.  Pavel Francouz has been injured all season long, forcing Philipp Grubuaer to play the overwhelming majority of the games so far and while he has played great, there is the risk of burning him out if that was to continue down the stretch.  Jonas Johansson was brought in last month to try to help and while he’s coming off a shutout last night, he clearly wasn’t the solution for the rest of the season.  Dubnyk should be able to play a bit more often over the final month to help keep Grubauer fresh with the cost of adding that insurance being relatively low.

Pateryn is on the move for the second time this season after being acquired early in the year for Ian Cole in a move designed to give them a bit of cap flexibility and a spot for Bowen Byram.  His inclusion is primarily for cap-matching purposes as his $2.25MM AAV is slightly higher than Dubnyk’s $2.167MM price tag (Minnesota is paying the other half of that from the offseason trade).  As a result, Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that there is no salary retention in the deal.  Pateryn has split the season between the NHL, AHL, and taxi squad and will likely have a similar role as a depth blueliner or taxi squad piece for San Jose.

The move frees up a roster spot for either Alexei Melnichuk or Josef Korenar to join San Jose’s roster for the stretch run.  Both youngsters could be part of the plan as soon as next season so the chance to evaluate one or both of them in NHL action will be beneficial.  Meanwhile, Colorado GM Joe Sakic has now added veteran depth for the second time in as many days following yesterday’s acquisition of Patrik Nemeth from Detroit to supplement their roster for what they hope is a long playoff run.

Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network was the first to report that Dubnyk was going to Colorado while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first noted the fifth-round pick going to San Jose.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Panthers Acquire Brandon Montour

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The Panthers have had a big hole on their back end since Aaron Ekblad suffered a season-ending leg injury last month.  They’ve taken a step towards shoring up their depth and have taken one of the more notable rentals off the board with the acquisition of Brandon Montour from Buffalo in exchange for a third-round pick in 2021.  Both teams have confirmed the trade.  Florida GM Bill Zito released the following statement about his new rearguard:

Brandon is a capable and talented right-shot defenseman who will have an immediate impact on our club. His two-way acumen and ability to play important minutes make him an exciting addition to the Panthers.

The 26-year-old is only a few years removed from being someone viewed as a long-term top-four piece going back to his time with Anaheim.  Buffalo was convinced that he’d be that for them and flipped a first-round pick along with Brendan Guhle, a fairly well-regarded prospect at the time, to acquire Montour just two years ago.  However, things haven’t gone anywhere near as well as expected with the Sabres.

His offensive output has dipped since putting up two straight seasons of over 30 points in 2017-18 and 2018-19.  Last season, he managed just five goals and 13 assists in 54 games while seeing his ATOI dip below the 2o-minute mark.  As a result, Montour profiled as a possible non-tender candidate last offseason although the two sides were able to agree to a one-year, $3.85MM contract just before the free agent market opened up.  The results have only been mildly better from an offensive standpoint as he’s up to 14 points (5-9-14) in 38 games so far this season but he, like many other Sabres, have struggled considerably at times in the defensive zone.

At 26, Montour still is young enough to turn things around and a change of scenery will certainly be beneficial to him as he looks to restore some value before hitting the UFA market for the first time in July.  From Florida’s perspective, the fact that Montour can log 20-plus minutes a night – something most of the blueliners that will be moved in the next two days can’t do – is a big benefit as it allows him to slide into their top four if needed or give a big boost to their third pairing.  Considering the state of the right side of their back end with Ekblad out, it’s probable that he begins in a more prominent role, sliding in behind MacKenzie Weegar to bolster their second pair.

Unlike many playoff contenders, cap space isn’t an issue for Florida, especially after they cleared the rest of Brett Connolly’s contract to Chicago earlier this week.  They entered today with more than $14MM in cap room, per CapFriendly, so it was something they didn’t require in order for this move to happen; TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that there was no salary retention on Buffalo’s end, leaving them with two remaining retention slots.

Former NHL defenseman Shane O’Brien was the first to report that Montour was going to Florida while Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network first reported the third-round pick going to Buffalo.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patrik Nemeth Traded To Colorado

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The Avalanche have added to their back end as they have acquired Patrik Nemeth from the Red Wings in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2022.  Both teams have announced the trade.

The 29-year-old is certainly familiar with Colorado as he spent two seasons with them in 2017-18 and 2018-19.  It was there that he had the best years of his career offensively (15 and 10 points, respectively) while he emerged as more of a physical presence in his second season, notching 137 hits.  That helped land him earn a two-year, $6MM deal with Detroit in the summer of 2019 with an eye on helping to stabilize their back end.  Colorado won’t be assuming that full price tag, however, as Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings are retaining the maximum 50% (or $1.5MM) of Nemeth’s deal.

In his first season with Detroit, Nemeth logged just over 22 minutes a night but his playing time has dipped notably this season down to 18:24 per night while notching two goals and six assists in 39 games.  However, he’s still a physical player with an ability to kill penalties and block shots, elements the Avs haven’t had as much of this season with Erik Johnson’s lingering injury troubles and the early-season trade of Ian Cole to Minnesota.

It’s likely that Nemeth will have even more of a limited role with the Avs as he figures to slot in on their third pairing.  But with him already familiar with the system, he should have more of a seamless transition into their lineup than most acquisitions would although he won’t debut for a few more days as he’s currently out with a hand injury.  As for Detroit, this is the first of their three allowable retained salary transactions, a number that may very well increase between now and Monday’s trade deadline and they earn themselves a mid-round pick for doing so; they now have three fourth-round selections already in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets Sign Cole Kehler

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The Jets have added some goaltending depth to their system as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve inked Cole Kehler to a deal for the remainder of the season.  The deal is worth $700K in the NHL and $70K in the minors.

The 23-year-old has made just one appearance this season which came yesterday as he played the final two periods with AHL Manitoba, making eight of ten stops while picking up the victory over Belleville.  Kehler had spent the previous two seasons in Los Angeles’ farm system, spending the majority of his time in the ECHL.

With Winnipeg recently losing Anton Forsberg to Ottawa on waivers, they were down to just one recallable goalie in Mikhail Berdin (with Eric Comrie available on the taxi squad if needed).  On top of that, the backup for most of the season in Manitoba was Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs who was recently recalled to Vancouver in the wake of their COVID-19 outbreak.  As a result, there was a need for another netminder in their system and Kehler has earned his first NHL deal to fill that void.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/09/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division 

  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled Austin Strand and Christian Wolanin from the taxi squad, adding them to the active roster in time for tonight’s game against San Jose. Wolanin would be making his Kings debut if he gets into the lineup this evening.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have made their typical gameday recalls.  Per CapFriendly, David Backes, Chase De Leo, and Sam Carrick have all been recalled from the taxi squad.  Carrick has a point (one goal, one assist) in his two games since being promoted earlier this month.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Michael Bunting from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 25-year-old had a hat trick on Monday and has four goals and an assist in five games this season.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have promoted Kyle Burroughs, Keaton Middleton, and Liam O’Brien from the taxi squad on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly.  Middleton is expected to make his NHL debut tonight.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled Luke Johnson and Kyle Rau from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The two have been shuffled back and forth routinely in recent days to save some cap room.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Antti Suomela and Jeffrey Viel from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Viel has ten penalty minutes in five games this season while Suomela has suited up in four NHL contests thus far.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Nicolas Hague from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The 22-year-old has picked up 14 points in 32 games this season while logging just over 16 minutes per contest.

North Division

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have added Joseph Duszak to the taxi squad, filling the sixth available spot with the young defenseman. Duszak, 23, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Maple Leafs in 2019 and split last season between the ECHL and AHL. This season he has eight points in 19 games for the Toronto Marlies.
  • The Ottawa Senators have re-assigned Alex Formenton to the taxi squad, a normal off-day move as they prepare for action tomorrow night. Formenton has two goals in seven games for the Senators this season.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have sent Cayden Primeau and Jake Evans back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Both were up on emergency recalls the last two days and will likely be promoted again tomorrow.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have sent Kristian Vesalainen back to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The 2017 first-rounder has just an assist in eight games this season while averaging just 7:35 per outing.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned Zac Dalpe to the taxi squad, moving Liam Foudy to the AHL in the process. Foudy, one of the team’s top prospects, has just three points in 18 games this season and is still looking for his first NHL goal. The 21-year-old still has a very high offensive ceiling but hasn’t been able to find much consistency at the highest level so far.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have brought Mathias Brome and Taro Hirose straight up from the AHL to the active roster, moving Evgeny Svechnikov to the taxi squad in the process. Gustav Lindstrom has also been re-assigned to the taxi squad from the AHL.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes are off today which means Jake Bean is once again back on the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Bean has 11 points in 29 games this season and will almost certainly be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Detroit.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Brandon Pirri from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  It’s his fourth recall in just over three weeks although he only has played once in the NHL this season.  Alec Regula was also sent to AHL Rockford.
  • The Nashville Predators have sent David Farrance and Tyler Lewington to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Farrance logged nearly 14 minutes in his NHL debut yesterday while Lewington had an assist in his Nashville debut in that game as well.

East Division

  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Arttu Ruotsalainen from the taxi squad, moving Steven Fogarty back in his place. Ruotsalainen is expected to make his NHL debut tonight after playing 13 games for the Rochester Americans in his first year of North American pro hockey.
  • The Boston Bruins have sent Anton Blidh to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The winger has a goal in six games this season, four of which have come over the past two weeks.
  • The New Jersey Devils have promoted Ben Street from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The veteran has 14 points in as many games with AHL Binghamton but hasn’t suited up in the NHL this year.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Shayne Gostisbehere to the taxi squad while recalling Derrick Pouliot, per CapFriendly, a move that frees up a bit of extra cap space for the day.  Tanner Laczynski was also sent to AHL Lehigh Valley.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Thatcher Demko Signs Five-Year Extension

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April 8: Doubling up on their announcement of forward Tanner Pearson’s extension, the Canucks have now confirmed the terms of their new deal with Demko as well. In the team’s release, GM Jim Benning raved about his stellar young keeper: “He’s taken a big step in his development this year, displaying a strong work ethic and composure in his game. At every level of play Thatcher has excelled, from college to the AHL and now as a starter in the NHL. We are excited to have Thatcher be a key contributor to our long-term success.”

March 31: The Vancouver Canucks have locked up one of their key restricted free agents ahead of a busy summer. Thatcher Demko has signed a five-year extension worth $25MM according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Demko was set to become an RFA at the end of the season and would have been arbitration-eligible.

After Demko was given an opportunity to prove himself on the biggest stage last summer, posting a .985 save percentage in four postseason appearances, the Canucks decided to let Jacob Markstrom leave in free agency and sign with the Calgary Flames. Braden Holtby was brought in as a veteran complement to the young netminder, but with this new deal, Vancouver is clearly putting their faith in the 25-year-old Demko.

A five-year term buys out three years of unrestricted free agency for Demko, but the $5MM average annual value is certainly a nice raise over the $1.05MM he carried for the last two seasons. The deal puts him ahead of Holtby’s $4.3MM and ties up a good chunk of the Canucks cap in goaltending, but it is worth it if Demko can continue to grow into the starting role.

After a few shaky outings to begin the season, Demko has put up a .937 save percentage in 11 March games, winning eight of them. He’s faced an average of 35 shots a night during that stretch, which shows just how much the Canucks have relied on him as they try to compete in the North Division. For a club that won’t have much room to make changes in the summer, that performance will be key to any chance the Canucks have of contending in the short-term.

That $9.3MM total for Demko and Holtby will come into the spotlight as the Canucks try to sign Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson this offseason. When Holtby signed the contract, many speculated that he could be bait for the Seattle Kraken—an experienced, Stanley Cup-winning goaltender on an expiring deal, similar to Marc-Andre Fleury for the Vegas Golden Knights. The problem of course is Holtby’s performance, which has been downright dreadful at times this season and last. The 31-year-old has an .894 save percentage in 12 appearances this year and when added to the .897 he put up last year for the Washington Capitals, tell the story of a goaltender on the way out of the NHL, not one headed to lead an expansion franchise.

If the Canucks do hold onto Holtby, there isn’t a ton of room for Hughes and Pettersson. The team has several defensive holes to fix in the summer and a forward group that has already had trouble scoring at times. Demko is performing at a high level and appears to be the no-doubt starter, but signing a long-term deal comes at an increased cap hit and less flexibility for the Canucks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/08/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have assigned Christian Wolanin to the taxi squad now that he has cleared the protocol following his March trade. He’ll skate with the team for the first time today.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have assigned Hudson Fasching to the AHL, moving him off the roster and giving him a chance to get his game going at the minor league level. The 25-year-old forward hasn’t scored in four games for the Coyotes this season.

North Division

Central Division

  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Drew Shore to the taxi squad, giving them an extra forward ahead of their game tonight against Florida. Shore has failed to score a single goal at any level this season, with just one point in seven AHL games.
  • The Florida Panthers have recalled some very interesting names to the active roster, bringing up Brady Keeper and young goaltending prospect Spencer Knight. Knight, the 13th overall pick in 2019, recently ended his college career and turned pro with the Panthers.
  • The Nashville Predators have done a similar move, recalling David Farrance and Tyler Lewington from the taxi squad. Farrance, 21, was one of the best players in college hockey the last two seasons and could quickly step into the NHL with the Predators.
  • As usual, the Detroit Red Wings have made a number of transactions, starting with a recall of Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, and Evgeni Svechnikov from the taxi squad. The team has moved Frans Nielsen, Calvin Pickard, and Dennis Cholowski–the latter from the AHL–to the taxi squad in their place.
  • The Dallas Stars have made their regular forward shuffle. Today, the move is promoting Justin Dowling and Joel L’Esperance from the taxi squad to the active roster.

East Division

  • After clearing waivers, Richard Panik has been moved to the Washington Capitals taxi squad according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. Daniel Carr has been promoted to the active roster in his place. Panik has recorded just three goals and nine points in 36 games this season and now finds himself on the outside looking in.
  • As expected, both A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst have been immediately loaned to the AHL after the New Jersey Devils acquired them last night. The pair of minor league forwards were part of the return for Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, but don’t look to have big futures in New Jersey and were likely included for contractual reasons.
  • After sending them down yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have brought C.J. Smith and Brandon Davidson back up from the AHL and added them to the taxi squad. The pair played but couldn’t help Rochester topple the Syracuse Crunch yesterday.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/07/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forwards Michael Chaput and Lane Pederson from the taxi squad. Pederson has only played in two games with the ’Yotes this season but has recorded a point, while Chaput is scoreless through ten games.

North Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Alex Formenton from the taxi squad, an expected move with the team back in action later today. The 21-year-old Formenton has two points in five games for the Senators this season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Kristian Vesalainen from the AHL to the taxi squad. Vesalainen has actually played eight games for the Jets this season, but is still looking for his first NHL goal.

Central Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Liam Foudy and Alexandre Texier to the taxi squad for their off day, as they prepare to take on the Lightning in a rematch tomorrow night. The Blue Jackets downed their divisional rival last night with both youngsters in the lineup. Columbus continues to move players off the roster between games in order to bank cap space and save some salary.
  • The Dallas Stars have re-assigned Justin Dowling to the taxi squad after he played in yesterday’s game against the Blackhawks. Dowling, 30, has played 16 of his 65 career NHL games this season.
  • As usual, the Detroit Red Wings have made several moves, assigning Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith and Evgeny Svechnkiov to the taxi squad. Mathias Brome, Dennis Cholowski and Gustav Lindstrom have been moved back to the AHL to make room.

East Division

  • The New York Islanders have returned Grant Hutton to the AHL after using him for taxi squad purposes this week. The 25-year-old defenseman has never played in an NHL game and has just two points in 14 contests for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have sent C.J. Smith and Brandon Davidson to the Rochester Americans in time for the Amerks game this evening. Smith, 26, has seven points in six AHL games this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

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