Devils Recall Santeri Hatakka
The Devils recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from the AHL’s Utica Comets on Wednesday, per a team announcement. Hatakka has joined the club ahead of their three-game road trip through the southwest United States.
CapFriendly’s transaction log reflects that Hatakka’s recall is an emergency loan, meaning it does not count toward New Jersey’s four allotted post-deadline recalls. The Devils already used one of them on goaltender Nico Daws, who they briefly assigned to Utica on deadline day to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
This is Hatakka’s third recall of the season after being assigned to the Comets during training camp. New Jersey acquired the 23-year-old Finn from the Sharks in last year’s Timo Meier trade.
Hatakka’s recall coming under emergency conditions suggests that John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler could be unavailable for Thursday’s game in Dallas. Neither defenseman is on the ice for practice on Wednesday, Ryan Novozinsky of The Star-Ledger reports, although Marino’s absence is only for maintenance.
Siegenthaler left the Devils’ 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Monday after taking an elbow to the head from opposing winger Matt Rempe, who was assessed a four-game suspension for the incident. However, Marino logged a team-high 24:58 and doesn’t yet carry an injury designation. If Marino is available against the Stars, the Devils would have six healthy defensemen without Hatakka and need to convert his recall into a standard one or return him to Utica.
A sixth-round pick of San Jose in 2019, Hatakka has been solid in his NHL auditions with New Jersey. Through seven games, the depth puck-mover has two assists and a +7 rating, the latter of which is second among active Devils skaters behind forward Curtis Lazar (+8). He’s averaged 16:19 per game, logging average possession metrics with a 48.8 CF% and 49.2 xGF% at even strength. He’s had 14 shot attempts, eight of which were on goal, and 11 blocks and nine hits.
Hatakka’s only previous NHL experience came in a nine-game stint with the Sharks in 2021-22, during which he recorded two assists and a -5 rating. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $851K and will be an RFA this summer.
Flames Renounce Rights To Topi Ronni
The Flames renounced the rights to unsigned draft pick Topi Ronni on Tuesday, the team said in a statement. Ronni, who was playing in the Finnish Liiga with Tappara, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence by the District Court of Helsinki yesterday “for rape committed as a young person,” Tappara said. The incident occurred in 2021 when Ronni was a minor, according to the initial charges against him.
The 19-year-old was a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, 59th overall. His contract with Tappara has also been terminated.
By renouncing Ronni’s rights, the Flames are no longer affiliated with him, and he has become an unrestricted free agent. No NHL team holds his exclusive signing rights. He is technically eligible to re-enter the draft and has not been legally barred from playing in the league by Commissioner Gary Bettman. However, either of those things could change if Ronni attempts a return after serving his suspended sentence.
As Tappara has terminated Ronni’s contract, he is also a free agent overseas. The team suspended Ronni in October after rape charges were brought against him but allowed him to return to the team just over a month later, playing 22 professional games and 20 junior games this season before being found guilty and sentenced yesterday.
Transaction Notes: Dzingel, Regenda, Shea, Soderstrom
The AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Henderson Silver Knights, have signed veteran forward Ryan Dzingel to a professional tryout agreement, according to a team announcement. Playing within the Carolina Hurricanes organization last season for the Chicago Wolves, Dzingel has not yet suited up in a game during the 2023-24 season.
Last year with the Wolves, Dzingel played in a total of 22 games, scoring two goals and 11 points overall. Once a premier scorer in the NCAA with Ohio State University, Dzingel has seen his offensive capabilities tail off by quite a bit over the last several seasons.
Although it seems like it was longer ago, it has only been five years since Dzingel put up back-to-back 20-goal seasons with the Ottawa Senators. Now, the Silver Knights will be hoping that Dzingel can recoup some of his goal-scoring talents, as they currently sit bottom-five in the American Hockey League in goals scored.
Other transactions:
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled forward Pavol Regenda from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. It will be the second call-up for Regenda this season, with the first one coming less than a week ago before the trade deadline. In his only game with the Ducks on the year, Regenda played over 12 minutes of that game but was unable to put any points on the scoreboard.
- After Jonathan Gruden cleared waivers this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to recall another player to fill out their roster. With that in mind, the team has recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Suiting up in 22 games for Pittsburgh this season, Shea has received bottom-pairing minutes while producing a -2 rating overall.
- Recalling him from their AHL affiliate on March 8th, defenseman Victor Soderstrom‘s time with the Arizona Coyotes has come to an end for the time being. The team announced they have sent Soderstrom down to the Tucson Roadrunners after playing two games for the Coyotes on this recent stretch. On the year, Soderstrom has mostly played for the Roadrunners, scoring eight goals and 25 points over 50 games.
Calgary Flames Recall Dustin Wolf, Jacob Markstrom Out With Injury
The Calgary Flames have recalled top prospect goaltender Dustin Wolf from their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, per a team announcement. In the same announcement, the Flames disclosed that starting netminder Jacob Markstrom is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Today’s transaction will mark the fifth time this season that Calgary has recalled Wolf from the minors. Throughout those five emergency call-ups, Wolf has suited up in six games for the Flames, producing a 1-3-1 record with a .878 save percentage and a 3.91 goals-against average.
Much like last season, Wolf is producing much better at the AHL level, and could be on pace for back-to-back Aldege Bastien Memorial Award and Harry Holmes Memorial Award finishes. While the Wranglers compete for a playoff spot in the AHL’s Pacific Division, Wolf has produced a 20-11-3 record while maintaining a .923 SV% and 2.43 GAA.
Only a few weeks ago, some trade speculation surrounded Markstrom and the New Jersey Devils, indicating that Calgary may be ready to transition Wolf to the NHL full-time. Unfortunately for the young goaltender, no deal came to fruition, and he will likely need to wait for next season to become a full-time member of the Flames active roster.
Keeping on Markstrom, Calgary very publicly backed out of the reported trade with New Jersey due to his strong play in the net. Since January 17th, Markstrom has produced a 9-4-0 record in 13 games, making 340 saves on a total of 373 shots.
Vancouver Canucks Place Dakota Joshua On LTIR, Recall Arturs Silovs
The Vancouver Canucks have placed forward Dakota Joshua on the team’s long-term injured reserve retroactive to February 16th, per a team announcement. In a corresponding move, the organization has recalled goaltender Arturs Silovs from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.
Silovs is expected to enter the lineup tonight, as the team recently learned that regular starting netminder, Thatcher Demko, is set to miss the next few games with an undisclosed injury. The team will likely opt to start Casey DeSmith in Demko’s stead, but Silovs may see his first action in the NHL since last season.
Playing in Abbotsford this season, the former sixth-round pick has had a moderately decent season as his team competes for a tightly-contested playoff spot in the AHL’s Pacific Division. Suiting up in 33 games for Abbotsford this year, Silovs has produced a 15-11-6 record while carrying a .907 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average.
Given that his last game was on February 13th against the Chicago Blackhawks, Joshua has already satisfied the requirements for LTIR and can be activated at any time. Currently producing at the best level of his career with the Canucks this season, the team recently learned only a few days ago that Joshua was set to miss the next two weeks.
Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner, Recall Fredrik Olofsson
The Avalanche have assigned forward Chris Wagner to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles after he recovered from an undisclosed injury he sustained last week, per a team announcement. Winger Fredrik Olofsson was recalled to the Avalanche in a corresponding transaction, keeping Colorado’s active roster at 24 and their remaining LTIR salary pool at $2.1MM.
With today’s move, the Avs have used two of their four allotted post-deadline recalls. The first one was used on backup netminder Justus Annunen, who was briefly assigned to the Eagles on deadline day to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Wagner, 32, has been limited to 20 combined NHL and AHL games this year after sustaining an Achilles injury during training camp. He returned to action with the Eagles in January, where he was solid with seven points in 11 games before earning a recall to the Avs in mid-February. Playing spot duty on the fourth line, the Massachusetts native posted an assist and a +2 rating in nine games while logging just 7:46 per game, a career low. Since he’s been rostered for 30 days and played less than 10 games since clearing waivers in January, he doesn’t need them again for today’s transaction.
The 27-year-old Olofsson gets another shot with the big club after they opted to waive him near the end of February. After acquiring his signing rights in a trade from the Stars last June, the Avs inked Olofsson to a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$300K AHL/$350K guarantee). He managed to stick on the roster out of camp and spent the first 60% of the season in a fourth-line role, recording career highs with three goals and nine points in 55 games while posting a -3 rating and averaging 9:53 per game. He played six games on his AHL assignment, recording three assists and a +5 rating. The native of Helsingborg, Sweden, will serve as Colorado’s 13th forward while Zach Parise is dealing with a knee injury and Logan O’Connor is done for the year after undergoing hip surgery.
Wagner, signed to a one-year, two-way deal, earns $375K in salary while on assignment to the AHL. He’ll be a UFA this summer, as will Olofsson.
Red Wings Sign Tim Gettinger To Extension
The Red Wings signed left wing Timothy Gettinger to a one-year, two-way contract extension on Monday, according to a team release. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Gettinger, 25, has 16 NHL games to his name, all coming with the Rangers between 2018 and 2022. The hulking 6-foot-6, 218-lb winger was a fifth-round pick of New York in 2016, where he spent five seasons before becoming a Group 6 UFA last summer and signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Wings that pays him $775K in the NHL and $250K in the AHL. He was due to reach Group 6 free agency again since he hasn’t added any NHL games to his career total this year.
Down on the farm with AHL Grand Rapids, the Cleveland, Ohio, native has 12 goals, 25 points and an even rating in 51 games. That works out to 0.49 points per game, a slightly reduced pace compared to the 133 points and -2 rating he conglomerated over five seasons and 237 games with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford.
Gettinger will need to clear waivers at the beginning of next season to head to the minors, during which time any NHL club may submit a claim. Extending him gives Detroit 26 out of a maximum of 50 standard player contracts on the books for 2024-25. He’ll be a UFA at the end of his extension.
Penguins Place Jonathan Gruden On Waivers
3/12: As expected, Friedman reports that Gruden has successfully cleared waivers, allowing the Penguins to safely send Gruden to their AHL affiliate in WBS.
3/11: Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Penguins placed forward Jonathan Gruden on waivers on Monday to assign him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Gruden, 23, needs waivers to return to the minors after crossing the 10-game mark since last clearing waivers during training camp. He’s suited up 11 times with Pittsburgh this year in a minimal role, scoring a goal and posting a -2 rating while averaging 8:49 per game.
A 2018 fourth-round pick of the Senators, Gruden has provided some injury insurance over the past few months but hasn’t shown enough to force head coach Mike Sullivan to give him increased minutes. His possession numbers at even strength have been relatively poor, posting a 39.5 CF% and 39.6 xGF%, but Sullivan uses his fourth line primarily in a defensive role, limiting Gruden’s opportunities to generate offense.
Gruden is on an expiring contract, so his likelihood of getting claimed is near zero. Players who are claimed off waivers after the trade deadline are ineligible to play for their new NHL teams down the stretch. He’s set to be an RFA with arbitration rights upon completing his one-year, two-way ($775K/$100K) deal signed last July and is owed a qualifying offer of $814K, per CapFriendly.
His waiver placement could indicate that Matthew Nieto, who remains on long-term injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in early January, could be nearing a return. He was projected to miss two months, but his absence has surpassed that estimate. Otherwise, waiving Gruden leaves Pittsburgh with only 12 healthy forwards – Jansen Harkins is on LTIR after undergoing a recent hand surgery, while Drew O’Connor is sidelined with a concussion he sustained last week.
Devils Acquire Nathan Légaré From Canadiens
The Devils swapped out minor-league forwards on Monday, acquiring Nathan Légaré from the Canadiens in exchange for Arnaud Durandeau. In the one-for-one deal, Legare will report to AHL Utica, and Durandeau will report to AHL Laval.
This is the second time both wingers have been traded in the last year. Légaré, a 2019 third-round pick of the Penguins, was sent to Montreal to balance out contracts in last summer’s three-team swap revolving around Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. Durandeau, a 2017 sixth-round pick of the Islanders, was acquired by New Jersey in November for minor-league forward Tyce Thompson.
Neither player lived up to expectations with their previous organization. Légaré, 23, carries intrigue as a 6-foot, 205-lb power winger who scored over a point per game in three straight QMJHL seasons with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Val-d’Or Foreurs between 2019 and 2021. He hasn’t been able to elevate himself out of a bottom-six role in the minors, however, and is having the worst offensive season of his AHL tenure with six goals and nine points in 39 games with Laval, along with a -10 rating.
Durandeau is older at 25 but has shown much more offensive promise at the professional level. The Montreal native broke out for 24 goals and 55 points in 68 games with AHL Bridgeport last season but got off to a rough start in 2023-24, scoring once through his first 12 games. Things improved in Utica, but not by much, scoring three goals and 14 points in 26 games. He’ll look to give himself a fresh start closer to his hometown.
Since this trade was executed past the March 8 deadline, neither player is eligible to suit up for their new NHL club down the stretch. However, they’ll both be able to play for their new farm teams down the stretch and participate in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Both players are pending RFAs and will remain under team control if they receive qualifying offers. Légaré is nearing completion of his three-year, entry-level contract and currently earns $70K in the minors, while Durandeau is completing a two-year, two-way deal that pays him a minors salary of $100K with a $125K guarantee. As such, the Devils save a minor amount of actual cash in this transaction.
Flyers Recall Adam Ginning On Emergency Loan
The Flyers announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Adam Ginning from AHL Lehigh Valley under emergency conditions. With Yegor Zamula sidelined due to illness, Philly was forced to dress 13 forwards and five defensemen in Saturday’s 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the Lightning.
Ginning, 24, is expected to play his second game this season when the Sharks visit the Flyers tomorrow. Philadelphia had summoned him under emergency conditions last week as well but returned him to Lehigh Valley on deadline day to make him eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Since Ginning is coming up on an emergency loan, the Flyers still reserve all of their four post-deadline standard recalls. The Flyers are down to $652K in cap space, so they’ll need to make a corresponding transaction if further recalls are necessary.
A second-round pick of the Flyers in 2018, Ginning is in the back half of his two-year entry-level contract, which carries a $884K cap hit. He’s only in his second season playing with the Flyers in North America but has been playing pro hockey for much longer, debuting with Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League all the way back in 2016-17. The shutdown prospect transitioned excellently to Lehigh Valley last season but has had a bit of a sophomore slump in 2023-24, posting two goals and 13 points with a -8 rating in 53 games. He was a +24 with 19 points in 68 games last season.
His lone NHL appearance this year came last Thursday against the Panthers, in which he recorded a -1 rating, five hits, and one block in 18:11 of ice time. He’s expected to skate in a third-pairing role alongside another recent call-up, Ronald Attard, against the Sharks as Philadelphia tries to keep pace in the Metropolitan Division playoff race without head coach John Tortorella for the next two games.