Red Wings Activate Klim Kostin From Injured Reserve
The Red Wings have activated winger Klim Kostin from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs, per a team announcement. The 24-year-old missed 11 games across nearly a month with an upper-body injury.
While he’s eligible to play tonight, it’s unclear if he actually will. The offseason trade addition from the Oilers has decidedly settled into 13th-forward status for the Wings, recording two goals and one assist in 23 games this season while averaging a paltry 8:40 per game.
It’s less of a role than the Wings expected Kostin to play after inking him to a two-year, $4MM contract extension hours before free agency opened last July 1. Both his production and usage had declined from last year’s career-best season with the Oilers when the 2017 first-round pick finally showed the true effectiveness of his power-forward game with 11 goals, 21 points, and 66 PIMs in 57 games. He kept it going with a decent showing in the Oilers’ two-round playoff run, notching five points in 12 appearances.
Detroit has lacked the even-strength possession game necessary to be a playoff lock, and poor play from two out of their three goalies in Ville Husso and James Reimer hasn’t helped. They remain within striking distance of a berth, though, and Hockey Reference still tabs them with a 47% chance to make the postseason.
It’s hard to imagine Kostin working his way back into a regular role down the stretch after the in-season addition of Patrick Kane, though. Detroit’s fourth-line wingers are currently Robby Fabbri and Daniel Sprong, both of whom have double-digit goal totals this season and are producing over 0.6 points per game. Depth scoring has been the team’s biggest strength this season, something Kostin’s limited usage and lack of production diminishes.
Kostin is slated to be an RFA with arbitration rights when his current deal expires in 2025.
Lightning Reassign Three To AHL
The Lightning have reassigned right defensemen Maxwell Crozier, Philippe Myers and left winger Gage Goncalves to AHL Syracuse, vice president and GM Julien BriseBois said today.
With Tampa Bay now in a four-day break until their next game, they’ve opted to send the three recent call-ups to the minors to make them eligible to play in Syracuse’s game tomorrow against Utica. They’ve combined for only seven NHL games this season.
Crozier, 23, was called up from Syracuse on Friday after top-four blueliner Erik Černák was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury for the second time this month. He made his NHL debut in yesterday’s 5-1 drubbing of the Ducks, recording one blocked shot in 13 minutes of ice time alongside another recent Syracuse call-up, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg. Crozier, a fourth-round pick of the Lightning in 2019, remains waiver-exempt.
This move ends the third recall for Myers, 26, since he was waived and assigned to Syracuse early in October before the season began. He can be on the Lightning roster for nine more days before he’ll need waivers again to return to the minors. A pending UFA with a $1.4MM cap hit this season, Myers was a healthy scratch in three straight and hadn’t played since January 6 against the Bruins. He has a -2 rating and six shots on goal in four games with the Bolts this year, averaging 13:08 per game.
Goncalves also returns to Syracuse, ending his first in-season recall. The 22-year-old played in his first two NHL games after he was summoned from the minors on Thursday, recording a lone shot attempt and six PIMs while averaging 9:58 per game. His unit with Tyler Motte and Conor Sheary was pristine defensively in an extremely small sample size, failing to allow a single expected goal against in just over 13 minutes together, per MoneyPuck. The team’s 2020 second-round pick now looks to build on his team-leading 23 assists and 30 points in 33 games with Syracuse.
Whether all of these three are recalled back to Tampa later this week depends on the health of Černák and winger Tanner Jeannot, who is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury but is eligible to come off injured reserve ahead of their next game, which takes place on January 18 against the Wild. The transactions bring the Lightning’s roster size down to 20, including the injured Černák.
Blues Loan Tyler Tucker To AHL On Conditioning Assignment
The Blues have assigned defenseman Tyler Tucker to AHL Springfield on a conditioning loan, Blues president of hockey operations and GM Doug Armstrong announced today.
Tucker, 23, has not played since facing the Panthers on December 21. He has been a healthy scratch in nine straight games.
The 2018 seventh-round pick signed a two-year extension worth $1.6MM last June, shortly before reaching restricted free agency. He had put up strong scoring chance suppression numbers in a 26-game stint while playing depth minutes last season, earning himself a spot on the team’s roster out of training camp to begin 2023-24. His pairing with current Springfield blueliner Calle Rosén led all Blues in expected goals against per 60 minutes last season with 2.32, according to MoneyPuck data.
Tucker scored a goal in the Blues’ season opener against the Stars, but he struggled to replicate last season’s shutdown effectiveness and came out of the lineup by the team’s sixth game of the season. After playing in St. Louis’ first five games, he’s been a healthy scratch in 26 out of 36 contests. Now most commonly paired with veteran Marco Scandella, that pairing has controlled just 37.3% of expected goals when on the ice. Per MoneyPuck, that’s the seventh-worst in the NHL this season among pairings with at least 100 minutes together. Scandella has fared slightly better when paired with the more offensively-inclined Scott Perunovich, boasting a 42.8% expected goals share.
Through his 15 games this season, Tucker has one goal, one assist and 22 penalty minutes with ten shots on goal. He’s averaged 12:31 per game, down from last season’s 14:39.
By consenting to a conditioning loan, Tucker will remain on assignment to Springfield for up to 14 days. He will remain on the Blues’ active roster and count against the salary cap. After 14 days, the Blues must recall Tucker from his loan or, if they wish to keep him in Springfield, place him on waivers.
The Blues also have center Nikita Alexandrov in Springfield on a conditioning loan. That means while their roster size is at the maximum of 23, only 21 players are eligible to suit up in an NHL game. Alexandrov has four days remaining on his loan, which has been successful with two goals and five assists in six games.
Avalanche Recall Justus Annunen
The Avalanche have recalled netminder Justus Annunen from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, according to a team announcement on Saturday night.
The news doesn’t indicate an injury to either of the Avalanche’s two rostered goalies, Alexandar Georgiev and Ivan Prosvetov. Instead, head coach Jared Bednar told the team he prefers to have a third option in the mix for time in the crease during the team’s upcoming back-to-back set of games against the Canadiens and Senators, a team spokesman told The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak.
Annunen, 23, was signed to a one-year, two-way deal last summer after reaching RFA status upon the conclusion of his entry-level contract. This is the second recall of the season after he was rostered for the first week of the campaign to provide competition for the backup job with Prosvetov, a pre-season waiver claim. The 2018 third-round pick has a .908 SV% in 18 games with the Eagles, posting a 2.62 GAA and 9-5-4 record.
He has four games of NHL experience, coming in the form of two appearances each in the last two seasons. Through a small sample size, he hasn’t impressed, posting a .859 SV% and 3.92 GAA. He’s allowed 4.8 goals above expected in only 214 minutes between the pipes (equivalent to 3.57 60-minute games), per MoneyPuck, although he has recorded a 2-1-1 record.
A decent start in the AHL has kept his development on track, and he remains a future option as a potential tandem netminder for the Avs. Expecting Annunen to be a long-term starter is likely too optimistic, but the 6-foot-4 Finn has shown enough improvement at the minor-league level this season to earn a qualifying offer when he reaches RFA status again next summer. He will be eligible for salary arbitration.
Wild Activate Kirill Kaprizov Off Injured Reserve
The Wild have activated leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov off injured reserve prior to tonight’s game against the Coyotes, per a team announcement.
Tonight will be Kaprizov’s first game since sustaining an upper-body injury on a cross-check from Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon on December 30th. He re-enters the lineup after missing seven games and two weeks.
Kaprizov isn’t the only big name returning for Minnesota tonight, either. Netminder Filip Gustavsson was activated off IR earlier in the day projects to start for the first time since December 30 as well.
Despite missing a significant chunk of the past few weeks, Kaprizov still leads the team with 34 points. That’s made up of 13 goals, tied for third behind Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek (who each have 15) and 21 assists, which ranks second behind linemate Mats Zuccarello‘s 24.
Without Kaprizov, Gustavsson and even Zuccarello for a stretch of games, the Wild have once again fallen out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Including the December 30 game, the Wild are 1-6-1 in their past eight games, dropping to 17-19-5 on the season and seventh in the Central Division. In doing so, they’ve undone nearly all the work done by a hot start under new head coach John Hynes, who replaced former bench boss Dean Evason in mid-November. As such, their playoff chances are down to under six percent, per Hockey Reference.
A small part of the Wild’s struggles has been due to a step back in production from Kaprizov. The fourth-year NHLer produced at a 1.24 point-per-game clip over the past two seasons, but is down to 1.00 points per game this year. He’s also dropped to 0.38 goals per game this season, the lowest per-game rate of his career.
What hasn’t declined is his two-way game. He’s recorded a Corsi share of 54% at even strength, a whopping 4.5% increase from the Wild’s Corsi share without Kaprizov on the ice. As such, he’s still undoubtedly the Wild’s most important skater and makes a huge splash in their chances of turning their season around.
Penguins Recall Colin White
The Penguins recalled forward Colin White from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday afternoon, per a team release. To remain cap-compliant, the team sent defenseman Ryan Shea to WBS in a corresponding transaction.
White, 26, is in his first season with the organization after shouldering fourth-line duties for the Panthers in their run to last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Initially joining the team on a PTO during training camp, the 2015 first-round pick was one of the few tryout attendees this year to earn a permanent contract. The Penguins signed him to a one-year, two-way deal three days before the start of the season and promptly placed him on waivers.
After passing through unclaimed, White reported to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for his first full-time AHL assignment in six years. His stat line with the Baby Pens is underwhelming, to say the least. He’s posted five goals and five assists for ten points in 21 games, although he’s heating up with eight points in his last ten games after a horrid start to the year.
The former Ottawa Senator is now on his third team in as many years after his lone campaign in Florida in 2022-23. His production has continuously dwindled since his 14-goal, 41-point rookie season in 2018-19, which prompted former Senators GM Pierre Dorion to sign him to an ill-advised six-year, $28.5MM deal that was bought out in the summer of 2022.
Injuries have played a major role in his lack of development. Most significantly, a dislocated shoulder cost him the first 50 games of the 2021-22 campaign.
Nevertheless, he gets what’s likely to be a brief shot back in the NHL ranks with Pittsburgh. With Reilly Smith sidelined with an upper-body injury, the Penguins are down to 12 healthy forwards on the active roster and only have cap room for two healthy skaters. For now, they evidently prefer to carry 13 forwards and six defenders rather than 12 and seven.
Shea, also in his first season in Pittsburgh, heads back to the AHL after a ten-day stint on the NHL roster. The 26-year-old’s only NHL experience has come in a Penguins jersey this season, posting a -2 rating and averaging 12:28 per game in 22 contests. The former Blackhawks and Stars prospect is still looking for his first NHL point.
He was one of the best shutdown blueliners in the minor leagues last season, posting 28 points and a +37 rating in 70 games with AHL Texas. That showing earned him a one-way deal from Pittsburgh and a spot on the team’s opening-night roster, and while he’s shown solid chance-prevention skills with the Penguins, his lack of any offensive production has bumped him down the depth chart over the past few months. He’s eligible for UFA status next summer.
Red Wings Recall Brogan Rafferty
The Red Wings have added some extra depth on the back end heading into their game tonight against Los Angeles, announcing (Twitter link) the recall of blueliner Brogan Rafferty from AHL Grand Rapids. Detroit had two open roster spots so no further moves were needed to bring him up.
The 28-year-old is in his first season in Detroit’s organization after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them back in July. Rafferty has exclusively played with the Griffins this season and is having a quieter year by his standards offensively, notching just 13 points in 33 games. This comes on the heels of a 51-point effort with AHL Coachella Valley last season, helping the Firebirds reach the Calder Cup Finals.
Rafferty has three career NHL appearances under his belt with Vancouver, the most of recent of which came back in the 2020-21 campaign where he had an assist in his lone game. Detroit now has eight blueliners on its active roster which is a bit surprising but it’s possible that his addition is a hedge against someone potentially being unavailable to take on the Kings.
Golden Knights Recall Two From AHL, Place Tobias Bjornfot On IR
Vegas has made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Calgary, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Byron Froese and goaltender Isaiah Saville from AHL Henderson. To make room on the roster, defenseman Tobias Bjornfot has been placed on IR.
Froese is in his second season with Vegas after signing a two-year, two-way deal for the league minimum in free agency back in 2022. The 33-year-old got into nine games with the Golden Knights last season where he had a pair of points but has played exclusively with the Silver Knights this year, collecting six goals and six assists in 33 games. Froese has 125 NHL appearances under his belt, many of which have been in a fourth line depth role which is the one he’s likely to fill if he sees any game action. Jack Eichel didn’t take part in the game day skate so it appears Froese’s recall is to hedge against Eichel not being available.
As for Saville, he was just sent back down yesterday and has been shuffled back and forth recently due to the uncertain availability of both Adin Hill and Jiri Patera. The 23-year-old has missed the bulk of the campaign after starting the year on season-opening IR, limiting him to seven appearances with Henderson where he has a 2.52 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Bjornfot, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers from Los Angeles earlier this month. Since then, the 22-year-old has played in a pair of games, bringing his season total to three as he has spent the bulk of the year in a reserve role. There’s no word yet on the nature of the injury and how long he might be out of the lineup. Between IR and LTIR, Vegas now has eight players on injured reserve.
Wild Activate Filip Gustavsson, Assign Jesper Wallstedt To AHL
The Wild will be welcoming back their starting goalie for tonight’s game against Minnesota as the team announced (Twitter link) that Filip Gustavsson has been activated off injured reserve. To make room for him on the roster, Jesper Wallstedt has been returned to AHL Iowa.
Gustavsson has been dealing with a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the last two weeks. Before that, he had struggled somewhat relative to last year’s breakout performance. While his .903 SV% is above the league average, it’s a steep drop from the .931 mark he posted in 2022-23. With Marc-Andre Fleury also struggling as of late having only recorded a save percentage above .900 in one of his last six starts, Gustavsson will likely get a chance to play significant minutes fairly quickly as Minnesota looks to keep within striking distance of a Wild Card spot.
As for Wallstedt, Minnesota’s top goalie prospect got a rough introduction to the NHL earlier this week, allowing seven goals on 34 shots to Dallas on Wednesday. However, the 2021 first-rounder has fared quite well with Iowa this season, posting a 2.54 GAA and a .917 SV% in 20 games with them. With Fleury’s contract up at the end of the season, Wallstedt could become the full-time backup in Minnesota before long so getting him back in the minors to maximize his playing time is certainly ideal.
Canadiens Recall Joshua Roy
Following their AHL affiliate’s contest last night, the Canadiens announced that they’ve recalled winger Joshua Roy from Laval. The team had an open roster spot following Thursday’s demotion of Emil Heineman.
The 20-year-old fell to the fifth round in 2021, going 150th overall. However, since being drafted, he was quite a productive player at the major junior level, recording 97 goals and 121 assists in 121 games with QMJHL Sherbrooke in his final two years. Roy added 47 points in 25 playoff appearances over that same stretch. He also played for Canada in two World Junior tournaments, notching eight goals and 11 helpers in 14 contests in those events.
Roy has carried over that production to the AHL level in 2023-24, sitting second on Laval in scoring with 12 goals and 18 assists in 34 games. His 30 points put him third among all rookies in the AHL this season.
Montreal’s offense sits near the bottom of the pack in the NHL this season as they enter play tonight ranking 26th in that department. With the Canadiens down several key forwards including Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, and Tanner Pearson, Roy should get a chance to play an offensive role with them fairly quickly.