Sharks Officially Activate Logan Couture And Nico Sturm Off IR
The Sharks will indeed welcome back not just one but two centers tonight when they take on Anaheim. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated Logan Couture and Nico Sturm off injured reserve as expected. To make room on the active roster, center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Ty Emberson have been transferred to IR, moves that were suggested as likely on Friday.
Couture has missed the entire season with what previously had been an undisclosed injury. Today, he told reporters including Max Miller of The Hockey News that he had been dealing with osteitis pubis. He twice tried to come back from this already but suffered setbacks each time, resulting in cortisone shots, extended rest, and a different training regimen as the team tried to figure out how to best treat the injury.
The 34-year-old is coming off of one of his best seasons offensively as he recorded 67 points while playing in all 82 games for only the second time of his career. A 14-year veteran, some have wondered if Couture could be a trade candidate at some point with San Jose clearly in a full-scale rebuild. He’ll need to demonstrate not only that he is fully healthy but that he is also still capable of producing at a top level as Couture has three years left on his contract after this one with a $8MM cap charge. The Sharks, meanwhile, only have one salary retention slot remaining through the end of next season.
Nevertheless, his return will be a welcome one for a team whose offense has struggled mightily this season, recording just 89 goals in 45 games, putting the Sharks dead last in the league in that department. Couture is expected to play alongside Alexander Barabanov and Fabian Zetterlund in his debut.
As for Sturm, the 28-year-old has been out for more than a month after re-aggravating a wrist injury. He has played in 26 games so far and while he only has two goals and two assists, he’s among the NHL’s leaders in faceoff percentage, checking in at just over 62%. With faceoffs and penalty killing being elements that teams often try to upgrade before the trade deadline, it’s possible that Sturm, who has one year left after this one at $2MM, could be someone that teams inquire about in the coming weeks.
Wild Recall Jesper Wallstedt, Assign Daemon Hunt To AHL
With Marc-Andre Fleury sustaining an upper-body injury on Friday against Florida, it appears the Wild have opted to make sure they have an extra goalie around if needed. Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that netminder Jesper Wallstedt has been recalled from AHL Iowa. To make room for him on the roster, defenseman Daemon Hunt has been sent down.
Wallstedt made his NHL debut earlier this month against Dallas, one that was a bit of a struggle for him as the 21-year-old allowed seven goals on 34 shots. However, the 2021 first-round pick (20th overall) has had a strong sophomore year in the minors, posting a 2.61 GAA with a .916 SV% in 21 games. His save percentage is tied for fourth among AHL goaltenders who have made at least 20 appearances this season.
As for Hunt, the 21-year-old has split the season between Minnesota and Iowa. At the top level, he has played in a dozen games so far in his first taste of NHL action. Hunt has a single assist in those contests in limited minutes as he’s averaging just 11:30 per night. However, in the minors, he has been considerably more productive, collecting a goal and eight helpers in 16 appearances.
Minnesota didn’t have an open roster spot to work with and at this point, Fleury hasn’t been placed on injured reserve so someone had to be sent down to make room for Wallstedt. Thanks to his waiver exemption, Hunt is that player for now but it wouldn’t be surprising to see this transaction reversed if Fleury is cleared to dress for tomorrow’s game against Carolina or if he lands on IR, allowing Hunt to be recalled.
Flames Recall Matt Coronato
With Martin Pospisil‘s injury, the Flames were expected to bring someone up to take his place before tonight’s game against Edmonton. That move has now been made as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Matthew Coronato has been recalled from AHL Calgary.
The 21-year-old was the 13th overall pick by Calgary back in 2021 and he has been viewed as a key part of their future core since then. He turned pro after two strong years offensively at Harvard where he averaged more than a point per game and this is his first full campaign in the pros.
Coronato broke camp with the Flames in training camp but the offensive success wasn’t there as he managed just one goal and one assist in his first ten games of the season. Calgary then decided to sent him to the Wranglers for more playing time and he has been there since then, save for a brief one-game recall last month. The move made a lot of sense as it allowed Coronato to play a much bigger role, one that he has been accustomed to throughout his career at the lower levels. He found his offensive touch in the AHL, notching 12 goals and 17 assists in 27 games at that level, earning himself an All-Star nod for his efforts.
It will be interesting to see how high the Flames will deploy Coronato in their lineup. Will they try to limit his minutes like they did in his first stint where he came in just under 14 minutes a night or will they put him in a scoring role to see if he can contain his hot stretch offensively? If it’s the latter, he might have more success than he did at the beginning of the season.
Wild Place Connor Dewar On IR, Recall Jake Lucchini
The Wild picked up a big win last night in Florida but it came at a cost with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (upper body) and center Connor Dewar (lower body) leaving with injury. The latter’s injury will keep him out for at least the next week as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Dewar has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster will be winger Jake Lucchini who has been recalled from AHL Iowa.
Dewar only has nine points for Minnesota this season but seven of those have been goals, marking a new career-high for the 24-year-old. He has spent the majority of the season on the fourth line while averaging just shy of 11 minutes a night so far. A good chunk of that has come on the penalty kill where he’s the third-most-used forward on the Wild in that situation. Joe Smith of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Dewar is expected to miss a couple of weeks and might not return until after the All-Star break and Minnesota’s bye week.
As for Lucchini, this is his third recall in the last month as he has played his way into being a top option for promotion when injuries strike. That’s thanks to a strong season in the minors where he has 11 goals and 11 assists in 28 games with Iowa. The 28-year-old has played in four games so far for Minnesota and is looking for his first point of the year. Lucchini has 15 career appearances at the top level under his belt where he has a single goal to his name.
While the Wild have been cap-strapped for most of the season, that changed with the season-ending injury to Jared Spurgeon. With the blueliner landing on LTIR, Minnesota has ample cap space to carry a full roster, even including injury recalls.
Oilers Recall Dylan Holloway, Assign James Hamblin To AHL
The Oilers have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Calgary. The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Dylan Holloway from AHL Bakersfield; in a corresponding move, forward James Hamblin was assigned to the Condors.
Holloway got off to a slow start to his season with Edmonton, notching just one goal in his first 14 games of the campaign while logging only a little over 11 minutes a night. He then suffered a lower-body injury in mid-November, one that caused him to miss nearly two months. Upon being cleared to return, the 22-year-old was assigned to Bakersfield where the plan was to give him some reps at center. It wound up being a short-lived stint with the Condors but a successful one as Holloway had two goals and two assists in just four games in the minors. It will be interesting to see if he sees time down the middle and takes Hamblin’s spot directly or if they’ll shift him back to the wing.
As for Hamblin, the 24-year-old has spent the bulk of the season with Edmonton, suiting up in 31 games so far. However, Hamblin’s role has been quite limited as he is logging less than eight minutes a night and has been limited to just two goals and one assist offensively while winning just over half of his faceoffs. Hamblin has been more productive with Bakersfield, picking up three goals and two helpers in six games with the Condors. He’ll get a chance to play much bigger minutes as a result of this swap.
Washington Capitals Sign Aliaksei Protas To Five-Year Extension
The Washington Capitals have announced a five-year, $16.875MM contract extension for centerman Aliaksei Protas. The new deal with carry an annual cap hit of $3.375MM. Protas has appeared in all but one of Washington’s 43 games this season, scoring three goals and 18 points. The 23-year-old has served in a bottom-six role, averaging just 13 minutes of ice time on the season, though he’s beginning to sneak into a larger role with an average of over 15 miuntes in his last five games.
Protas is appearing in just his third NHL season and this extension marks the first deal after his entry-level contract. The 23-year-old was selected by the Capitals in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s since played in the most games of any player selected outside that year’s top two rounds, managing 133 career games – scoring 42 points throughout. He was drafted from the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, but made his professional debut overseas in the 2020-21 KHL season, scoring 10 goals and 18 points for the KHL’s Minsk Dynamo. He came over to North American pros at the end of Dynamo’s season and made his NHL debut in 2021-22, scoring nine goals in his first 33 games with the Capitals.
Protas satisfies a menagerie of trivia, standing as one of the league’s 10-tallest players and is one of just two Belarusians playing consistently in the NHL this season. In fact, he became just the ninth Belarusian to play 100 NHL games on January 2nd.
Rangers Recall Matthew Robertson
The Rangers recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson from AHL Hartford on Friday, per a team announcement.
New York adds some blueline depth to their roster as they continue their West Coast swing with three games in four nights. Per The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, Robertson comes up as injury insurance for an undisclosed defenseman who’s not 100 percent healthy. He will likely serve as a healthy extra on the road trip, with Zachary Jones drawing in instead if one of the Rangers’ top six defensemen needs to exit the lineup due to injury.
The 22-year-old Robertson has yet to play in an NHL game, but he’s one of the Rangers’ more intriguing defense prospects. He has NHL-ready size at 6-foot-4 and 201 lbs., but his development in the minors has stagnated over the past 18 months. In 32 games with the Wolf Pack this year, Robertson has two goals, 11 assists and 13 points with a -3 rating.
Notably for Robertson, he is in the final season of his entry-level contract. If he can make his way into the lineup for his NHL debut, it could go a long way toward securing some additional compensation on his second major league deal. The 2019 second-round pick is on track to receive a qualifying offer at season’s end and will not be eligible for arbitration.
This is his second recall of the month. He was ferried up for a brief period on Jan. 11, but was sent down before that night’s game against the Blues.
Hurricanes Claim Spencer Martin Off Waivers From Blue Jackets
The Hurricanes have claimed goaltender Spencer Martin off waivers from the Blue Jackets, per a team announcement. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news. Given the Hurricanes have no open spots on the active roster, the team has likely assigned rookie backup Yaniv Perets to ECHL Norfolk to create space for Martin.
Martin, 28, has now been claimed off waivers for the second time this season. He began the campaign with the Canucks in training camp, expecting to serve out the second season of a two-year, $1.525MM extension. After Vancouver made a mid-September trade to acquire Casey DeSmith from the Canadiens to serve as the primary backup to starter Thatcher Demko, though, Martin fell to third on the organizational depth chart. The Canucks waived him at the end of the month, at which point he got picked up by the Blue Jackets to serve as their backup while youngster Daniil Tarasov was on the shelf with a knee injury.
In 13 appearances with Columbus (10 starts), Martin posted a .887 SV% and a 3-8-1 record. He has a 17-25-6 record and .886 SV% in 51 career showings with the Blue Jackets, Canucks and Avalanche dating back to 2016. A third-round pick of Colorado in the 2013 draft, Martin was primarily an AHL starter for the organizations he played in until getting a more extended look as a backup to Demko in Vancouver last season.
Unfortunately, Martin’s poor play last season was a large reason behind the 2022-23 Canucks’ dysfunction. His -23.5 goals saved above expected was third-worst in the NHL, per MoneyPuck, trailing only Columbus’ Elvis Merzļikins and San Jose’s Kaapo Kähkönen. He’s been marginally better this season, but he’s still been far below average, with -4.7 goals saved above expected in his 13 appearances for the Blue Jackets.
He now heads to Carolina as a more permanent answer for the veteran third goalie position they’ve been looking to fill ever since starter Frederik Andersen exited the lineup in November due to blood clots. The club had signed Jaroslav Halák and Aaron Dell to PTOs earlier in the season, but never converted their tryouts into a full-time contract.
Their thin depth at the goalie position was exacerbated last week when Pyotr Kochetkov entered concussion protocols, leaving the Hurricanes with Antti Raanta and his .869 SV% as their lone option between the pipes with NHL experience. Claiming Martin also allows the Hurricanes to let the 23-year-old Perets continue his development in the ECHL, where he has a .906 SV% and 2.62 GAA in his first professional season.
Senators Agree To Terms With Shane Pinto To One-Year Contract
The Senators have agreed to terms with RFA center Shane Pinto on a one-year deal worth $775K, the NHL league minimum salary, per a team release.
Pinto, 23, is eligible to make his season debut in Sunday’s game against the Flyers. He will miss tomorrow’s game against the Jets as he serves the final contest of his 41-game suspension for violating the league’s sports wagering rules. His contract cannot be registered with the league until Sunday.
Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch said earlier this week that the team had offered multiple contract options to Pinto as he neared his return, including multiple longer-term deals. While the Senators’ tight salary cap situation prevents them from giving Pinto a significant salary this season, they continue to work on signing a multi-year deal before Pinto reaches RFA status next summer, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He is eligible to sign an extension at any time before July 1.
Unfortunately for the Senators, their 16-24-0 record puts them in last place in the Eastern Conference at the time of Pinto re-joining the team. Any impact the sophomore center has in his return will likely be immaterial to their end-of-season fortunes, but his play will still be closely eyed as the Senators determine who to keep and who to shed as their rebuild remains stuck in first gear.
The 2019 second-round pick churned out play worthy of a high-end third-line center last year, his first full campaign with the Sens after a shoulder injury limited him to five games in 2021-22. Posting 20-15–35 in all 82 games, Pinto ranked sixth on last year’s team in goals and, despite his -21 rating, graded well in terms of two-way play with a 51.9% Corsi share at even strength.
He still carries top-six potential despite his significant time away from the game over the last two seasons. He’ll at least find himself in a top-nine role when he suits up on Wednesday, especially as Josh Norris remains sidelined down the middle with an upper-body injury. Whether or not he usurps another promising youngster, 21-year-old Ridly Greig, for first-line duties between Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux is unclear.
Pinto will earn $387.5K in actual salary this season as a result of his contract being signed with exactly half of Ottawa’s schedule remaining. If he can’t agree to a new deal with Ottawa by the summer, he will not be eligible for salary arbitration. However, unlike last summer, he will be eligible for an offer sheet.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Jacob Bryson
The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Jacob Bryson. He fills the open roster spot left when Kale Clague was sent down from his emergency loan. Bryson has been in the minors since December 19th, appearing in nine games with the Rochester Americans and recording one assist. Bryson was on injured reserve earlier in the season with a lower-body injury.
This is the first time that Bryson has played AHL games since the 2020-21 season when he played in five games with Rochester and recorded three assists. In fact, Bryson has largely avoided the minor leagues since making his pro debut in 2019-20. He’s only totaled 75 AHL games, scoring 31 points, compared to his 173 career games in the NHL. Bryson’s most eventful NHL season came in 2021-22 when he netted a career-high 10 points in a career-high 73 games. He’s come close to breaking his scoring high a number of times, netting nine points in 38 games in his rookie 2020-21 season and nine points in 59 games last year. The Sabres originally drafted Bryson in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft, taking him in the same round that saw Michael Anderson, Emil Bemstrom, and Drake Batherson get selected.
Bryson rejoins a Sabres team that’s slowly finding their groove, setting a 4-2-0 record since the calendar turned over to 2024. He’ll serve as a depth option for Mattias Samuelsson, who is currently in concussion protocol and designated as day-to-day.