East Notes: Kovacevic, Konecny, Nadeau, Kuraly
The Canadiens have been a popular team in trade talks lately. Veteran netminder Jake Allen is drawing significant interest from teams looking for help between the pipes, and their surplus of young defense prospects has made some think a move to clear space is coming sooner rather than later. Some have discussed veteran David Savard as being the odd man out, but notably, shutdown specialist Johnathan Kovacevic was a healthy scratch in Thursday’s game against the Hurricanes upon Jordan Harris‘ return from injury.
Kovacevic is, by most accounts, the Canadiens’ most adept chance-limiting defender. Acquired via waiver claim from the Jets early in the 2022-23 season, Kovacevic has gone from unknown rearguard to Canadiens blueline staple in a relatively short amount of time. However, as his five points through 33 games suggest, he’s not much of a two-way threat. In all situations, nearly 76.7% of his zone starts have been in the defensive end this season, way up even from last season’s 61.3% mark. At even strength, that number still skews conservative with a defensive zone start percentage of 70.
Even still, Kovacevic could carry some significant trade value if the Canadiens decide he’s on the outside looking in on their long-term core. His expected plus-minus rating of +1.9 is the highest among active Montreal defenders this season, and he averages 2:39 per game on the penalty kill. Toss in the fact that he’s a highly-coveted right-shot defenseman, and you have a player a contending team would love to pick up for the low cost of $767K against the cap at the trade deadline.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference as New Year’s Day draws near:
- Flyers forward Travis Konecny departed yesterday’s 4-1 win over the Canucks prematurely due to illness, head coach John Tortorella told reporters postgame (via NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer). Konecny logged an assist and two shots on goal in 14:55 of ice time but, as Tortorella said, felt worse as the game progressed and had to exit the contest after taking two shifts in the third period. His availability for tonight’s contest against the Kraken is unclear. If he’s not healthy enough to play, 27-year-old Rhett Gardner will make his Flyers debut after being recalled on Wednesday.
- The Sabres demoted forward prospect Olivier Nadeau from AHL Rochester to ECHL Jacksonville on Friday morning, per a team release. Nadeau, 20, has been a frequent healthy scratch in Rochester, playing five out of a possible 26 games in his first pro season. He’s suited up just twice this month and has not played since December 16. While the 2021 fourth-round pick recorded his first professional goal, the lack of playing time is surely not a positive thing for his development. He’ll head to a lower-level club where he could potentially lock down a top-six role after notching over a point per game in the past three QMJHL seasons.
- Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly will remain out of the lineup for the next two games with what’s now been officially diagnosed as an abdominal contusion, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports. Kuraly has not played since paramedics were summoned to attend to an injury he sustained in last Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs, which he said was caused by the butt end of his stick jamming into his abdomen when he was checked simultaneously by Toronto players Auston Matthews and Jake McCabe. He confirmed the visible distress he was under when leaving the ice was because he was having trouble breathing, although he told Portzline today that he never lost consciousness throughout the incident. He remains listed as day-to-day.
Sabres Activate Tage Thompson, Assign Ryan Johnson To AHL
4:30 PM: The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Ryan Johnson from the AHL, proving that these moves were merely paper transactions.
10:00 AM: The Sabres activated center Tage Thompson on Friday after a very short stint on the non-roster list, according to a team release. With no existing room on the 23-man roster to execute the move, the team assigned rookie defenseman Ryan Johnson to AHL Rochester to accommodate Thompson’s return.
Thompson was a late scratch for Buffalo’s last contest, a 4-1 loss against the Bruins on Wednesday, for personal reasons. After exceeding the 23-player limit on the active roster over the course of the holiday freeze, the Sabres moved Thompson to the non-roster list before 11:59 p.m. that night to be compliant when the freeze lifted Thursday morning.
The transaction suggests Thompson will be available for Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets. Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams will need to make an additional roster move to activate Sabres mainstay Zemgus Girgensons from injured reserve, as he’s expected to return from a lower-body injury that’s kept him out since late November. That will likely be assigning center Tyson Jost to Rochester this afternoon, assuming he clears waivers.
Thompson, 26, had four points in his last five games, including a three-point effort in the Sabres’ 9-3 drubbing of the Maple Leafs last week. In ten games since returning from a wrist injury that cost him nearly three weeks, Thompson has struggled with three goals and seven points and a -5 rating.
Johnson, the Sabres’ 31st overall pick in 2019, returns to Rochester to continue his development. The University of Minnesota product had a strong training camp and has looked good in 20 games of NHL action this year. He hasn’t provided much in the way of offense with two assists, and he’s received zero usage on special teams, but he’s graded out well possession-wise in his even strength minutes with a 51.7% Corsi share and an expected plus-minus rating of +0.1. Only Rasmus Dahlin has controlled more shot attempts at even strength than Johnson.
In fact, Johnson has graded out so well defensively that there’s some warranted speculation that the Sabres will make an additional roster move in order to bring him back up to the NHL. Given his waiver-exempt status, though, assigning him to the minors is the most convenient way to make room for both Girgensons and Thompson to suit up tomorrow.
The Sabres would need to make an additional waiver placement or trade to create room to recall Johnson again. The team’s other waiver-exempt talents – Zach Benson, Devon Levi, John-Jason Peterka, Owen Power, and Jack Quinn – have solidified full-time roles, and sending any of them down would be extremely detrimental to a team that needs a major winning streak to get back into the playoff conversation.
In his first nine games with Rochester, the 22-year-old had four assists and a +2 rating. He has not played an AHL contest since being recalled to Buffalo in early November.
Bruins Recall Georgii Merkulov
The Bruins recalled left wing Georgii Merkulov from AHL Providence on Friday, per the AHL’s transactions log (via the New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver). In a corresponding transaction, the Bruins assigned center Patrick Brown to Providence to stay at the maximum of 23 players on the active roster.
This is the first recall in Merkulov’s career. The 23-year-old is in his second full season in the Bruins organization after signing as a free agent in 2022.
Merkulov’s development path has been unique, to say the least. First eligible for selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, he posted 22 goals and 46 points in 64 games with the MHL’s Kapitan Stupino in the Russian junior ranks in his draft year but did not get selected by an NHL club and wasn’t on the radar of most scouts in the public sphere.
In 2019-20, Merkulov got off to an incredibly disappointing start with two points in ten MHL games and no points in six games with HK Tambov in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league behind the KHL. With an NHL career in mind, Merkulov made the choice mid-season to come stateside to continue his development, signing a tender with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms to finish out his junior career.
That choice proved fruitful. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting his playing schedule, Merkulov was productive as a member of the Phantoms, posting 20 goals and 73 points in 74 games there across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
The 5-foot-11 winger then opted to pursue a collegiate career, committing to Ohio State for the 2021-22 season. As a rare 21-year-old freshman, Merkulov exploded offensively, matching his USHL career goal total of 20 in just 36 games for the Buckeyes while adding 14 assists. That breakout finally put him on the map for NHL teams, and, after just one NCAA season, he inked a three-year, entry-level deal with the Bruins as a free agent in April of 2022.
Merkulov continued his momentum in his first pro season. Last year with Providence, he led the Bruins’ primary affiliate in goals (24) and points (55), earning a spot on the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in the process. Through 31 games this season, he’s again leading the team in both categories with 14 goals and 30 points.
Now in the second season of his entry-level deal, Merkulov’s offensive production in Providence has forced the Bruins’ hand to give him an NHL look. He will look to unseat Jakub Lauko or Oskar Steen for a fourth-line role and could make his NHL debut in one of Boston’s two remaining games before New Year’s Day.
Brown, 31, heads down to Providence for the sixth time this season. He’s failed to lock down the fourth-line center spot in Boston after signing a two-year, $1.6MM contract as a UFA last summer and has been relegated to extra forward status. The Bruins have ferried him between leagues often since he last cleared waivers on November 18 to limit his time on the NHL roster and extend his temporary waiver exemption.
In ten NHL games, Brown has recorded one assist and a -1 rating while averaging 8:29 per game. He’s played just twice in December, including an appearance in the Bruins’ 4-1 win over the Sabres on Wednesday, in which he posted a -1 rating and went three for six in the faceoff dot in 7:24 of ice time.
Merkulov carries a cap hit of $925K compared to Brown’s $800K, but with Derek Forbort and Milan Lucic on long-term injured reserve, the Bruins have enough money in their salary pool to accommodate the minimal difference. He will be a restricted free agent when his ELC expires in 2025.
East Notes: Thompson, Holmberg, Letang, Grzelcyk
The Sabres placed star center Tage Thompson on the non-roster list after he was absent from last night’s 4-1 loss to the Bruins for personal reasons. While the move was announced Thursday, it was likely filed with the league in order to reduce the Sabres’ active roster to 23 players before the holiday roster freeze lifted last night at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Buffalo is now at the maximum of 23 players on their roster, but they’ll still need to clear two roster spots in the near future: one to activate Thompson when he’s ready to return to the team, and one to activate injured forward Zemgus Girgensons, whose return to health is imminent.
It’s been a down season for Thompson, who had a three-point game against the Maple Leafs but has otherwise been ineffective since returning from a wrist injury that cost him nine games in November and early December. He has nine goals and 19 points in 26 games on the season, a significant decline from last season’s 47 goals and 94 points.
Elsewhere from the Eastern Conference today:
- The Maple Leafs recalled center Pontus Holmberg from AHL Toronto yesterday, per CapFriendly. Holmberg, who is still waiver-exempt, has been ferried up and down between leagues frequently this season to serve as injury insurance for the Maple Leafs. He last played on December 16 against the Penguins and has one assist in eight games this season, averaging 8:53 per game. He was a healthy scratch for last night’s loss against the Senators. The 24-year-old Swede has excelled at the AHL level this season, potting ten points in 11 games.
- Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is a member of one of the most venerable trios in hockey history with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but he’s often been overshadowed by the achievements of his peers. He took home a milestone of his own last night, however, setting an NHL record by registering five assists in the second period against the Islanders – the most ever in a single period by a defenseman. He added another assist in the third, giving him a six-point night and bringing him to 0.7 points per game on the season, much closer to the pace we’re accustomed to seeing from him. The 36-year-old is still barely ahead of Erik Karlsson for the highest average time on ice on the team (24:40) and is now second on the team in assists behind Jake Guentzel with 20. Letang has four seasons remaining after this on a contract carrying a $6.1MM cap hit.
- Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was in a regular jersey at practice today, according to the Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan, signaling he’s close to returning. Grzelcyk, 29, has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. He is not on injured reserve and is eligible to re-enter the lineup at any time. While he’s held a top-pairing role alongside Charlie McAvoy for most of the season, he may be losing out on his spot. Grzelcyk is currently in one of the worst stretches of his career, posting just one goal and a -3 rating in 20 contests this season while averaging 17:04 per game. 22-year-old rookie Mason Lohrei has seen looks with McAvoy in Grzelcyk’s absence and has put up better stats in more minutes, posting six points and a -1 rating in 18 contests while averaging 17:24 per contest.
Canadiens Activate Jordan Harris Off Injured Reserve
The Canadiens activated defenseman Jordan Harris off injured reserve Thursday, per a team release. To stay under the 23-player roster limit, Montreal returned winger Emil Heineman to AHL Laval in a corresponding transaction.
Harris is projected to return to the lineup tonight against the Hurricanes in a third-pairing role alongside Jayden Struble, reuniting a pair of former Northeastern University teammates. He missed 15 games with a lower-body injury sustained just one game after returning from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for two contests.
The 23-year-old Harris is in the first season of a two-year, $2.8MM extension signed with Montreal last February. Through 16 games this season before his injuries, Harris logged three assists and a -7 rating while averaging 18:44 per game.
Advanced metrics label the 5-foot-11 American as a slightly below-average defender, posting a 46% Corsi share at even strength that exceeds only Kaiden Guhle and Gustav Lindström among Canadiens defensemen this season. He’s still got a few seasons ahead of him to continue his development, however, and there remains optimism that he can break away from the Canadiens’ large group of mid-tier defense prospects to lock down a top-four role by the time he reaches restricted free agency again in 2025.
Meanwhile, Heineman returns to the minors after making his first NHL appearances late last week in back-to-back games. Averaging only 7:50 in road tilts against the Blackhawks and Wild, Heineman failed to take a shot on goal but recorded two hits and a +1 rating. The 22-year-old will continue his development in Laval, with whom he has one goal and four points in seven games this season. Heineman missed most of October and all of November with an injury.
Devils Send Akira Schmid To AHL
The Devils assigned netminder Akira Schmid to the AHL’s Utica Comets on Thursday, according to a team release.
Most expected the Devils to make a move to shake up their crease, but few expected the team to demote last year’s breakout performer between the pipes. Schmid, 23, logged a .922 SV% in 18 appearances in 2022-23, usurping Mackenzie Blackwood for the backup job behind starter Vítek Vaněček by season’s end. The Swiss goalie even stole starts from Vaněček in the postseason, starting eight of New Jersey’s 12 playoff games while recording a .921 SV% and two shutouts. It became clear by the summer that Schmid had secured the backup job behind Vaněček this season, leading the Devils to part ways with Blackwood and trade his signing rights to the Sharks.
Both Schmid and Vaněček have failed to recapture last season’s strong play, however. The Devils’ .888 team SV% is near the bottom of the league, and it’s almost singlehandedly keeping them out of a playoff spot after finishing with 112 points last season.
Even though he’s been below average, Schmid’s numbers are far superior to Vaněček’s this season. In 15 appearances (13 starts), he’s posted a .893 SV% and conceded -3.8 goals saved above average compared to Vaněček’s .885 SV% and -10.2 GSAA in 22 appearances (20 starts).
Choosing to send down the better of your two goalies will certainly raise some eyebrows, but short of trading Vaněček, it’s the only choice Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald had at his disposal to try and improve their goalie situation in the short term. Waiving Vaněček would destroy his trade value as the team continues to browse the market for upgrades, while Schmid can head to Utica without needing waivers.
Last season in Utica, Schmid went 11-7-4 with a .905 SV%, 2.62 GAA and two shutouts in 23 games as he bounced between leagues.
The team now turns to 23-year-old Nico Daws to see if he’s ready for full-time NHL play. New Jersey recalled him yesterday after he posted a 2.39 GAA and .929 SV% in three starts with Utica this month. The 2020 third-round pick missed the first two months of this season after undergoing hip surgery over the summer.
Daws has not made an NHL appearance since the end of the 2021-22 campaign when he made 25 appearances for a Devils team plagued by injuries between the pipes that season. Behind veteran Jonathan Bernier, who played ten games before sustaining a career-ending hip injury, Daws was the best of the other six goalies who suited up for the Devils that year with a 10-11-1 record and .893 SV%. Those still weren’t standout numbers for a team that had decent defensive stats, but he’ll lean on that experience now as he gets another NHL shot. He will presumably start one of the Devils’ upcoming back-to-back road games against the Senators and Bruins to wrap up 2023.
Central Notes: Kantserov, Phillips, Kovalenko, Toninato
KHL club Metallurg Magnitogorsk announced a flurry of contract extensions Thursday morning, including a two-year pact for Blackhawks right-wing prospect Roman Kantserov. The 19-year-old will remain in Russia through the 2025-26 season, although he wasn’t expected to challenge for NHL ice time before then.
Chicago selected Kantserov with the 44th overall pick in 2023, one of their multiple second-round choices in last year’s draft. Some had tabbed Kantserov as a potential late first-round pick, influenced by his intriguing combination of pure shooting and playmaking skill. Skating with Magnitogorsk’s junior club in the MHL last season, Kantserov led the team in goals (27) and points (54) in 45 games. Just one year post-draft, he’s now cracked the pro ranks full-time, appearing in 37 KHL games for Magnitogorsk while recording five goals and five assists for ten points, as well as a +3 rating. Those are solid stats for a teenager logging bottom-six minutes on a Magnitogorsk club that boasts the best record in the KHL’s Eastern conference, and a promising sign that Magnitogorsk can be trusted to handle the most crucial years of Kantserov’s development.
Other notes from the Central Division this morning:
- Sticking with the Blackhawks, the team converted defenseman Isaak Phillips‘ emergency call-up to a regular one today, per CapFriendly. Phillips received his third call-up of the season earlier this month after youngster Kevin Korchinski took personal leave from the team after the death of his father. Korchinski returned to play for Chicago before the holiday break, but Phillips remained on the roster under emergency conditions as Seth Jones, Jarred Tinordi and Alex Vlasic were also sidelined with injuries. Jones remains out, but Tinordi and Vlasic are now healthy. That gives Chicago seven defenders on the active roster, including Phillips. The team’s choice to keep Phillips around instead of returning him to AHL Rockford is notable, given some comments made by head coach Luke Richardson earlier this week. He expressed disappointment in Phillips’ inconsistency despite the player’s belief that he’s ready for a full-time NHL role, calling him a “50-50 player” with some equal flashes of skill and defensive lapses. In 18 games across multiple recalls with the Blackhawks this season, Phillips has five assists and a -6 rating while averaging 18:08 per game. His 44.3% Corsi share at even strength and -3.8 expected rating are rather middle-of-the-pack on a weak Blackhawks roster, and only Jones and Korchinski have put up better possession metrics on the Chicago blueline this season.
- One of the Avalanche’s best prospects is expected to miss some significant time with an injury. KHL Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod forward Nikolai Kovalenko will be out a minimum of two weeks, but likely longer, with an undisclosed ailment, head coach Igor Larionov said earlier this week (via Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal). The 24-year-old Kovalenko was a sixth-round pick in 2018 but has far outpaced his draft billing, and he’s now considered one of the best players outside North America. The son of former NHL forward Andrei Kovalenko has 29 points in 27 games for Torpedo this season while on loan from the Avalanche and is expected to be a full-time NHLer in Denver next season.
- The Jets brought depth forward Dominic Toninato back up from AHL Manitoba prior to yesterday’s 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks, Jets color analyst Mitchell Clinton relayed. Toninato, who was waived just over two weeks ago, slotted into the lineup against Chicago in the wake of a lower-body injury to David Gustafsson, logging an assist in his first appearance of the season for Winnipeg in 8:23 of ice time. The Jets did not assign Toninato to the minors immediately after he cleared waivers, however, instead waiting until just before the holiday break to do so. Toninato, 29, was a healthy scratch in all 17 Winnipeg games he’d been rostered for this season before last night’s showing.
Predators Recall Yaroslav Askarov
Predators top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov was recalled from AHL Milwaukee on Wednesday, a team release states. NHL.com’s Robby Stanley initially reported Askarov was with the team at this morning’s skate. With backup Kevin Lankinen listed as day-to-day with an illness, Askarov will likely back up starter Juuse Saros tonight against the Hurricanes.
The 21-year-old Askarov has a .908 SV%, an 8-6-1 record and a 2.45 GAA in 15 games with Milwaukee in 2023-24. Nashville’s 2020 first-round pick has won four out of his last five games, and his numbers this season reflect those of a slightly above-average AHL starter. Among 50 AHL goalies with at least ten appearances this season, Askarov ranks 19th in SV% and 11th in GAA.
Askarov likely isn’t ready for full-time NHL duties yet, but his time should come shortly. Lankinen will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, and it seems likely the Predators will leave an opening for Askarov to grab the backup job behind Saros in 2024-25. In doing so, they’ll get solid value from the last season of Askarov’s entry-level contract, which carries a $925K cap hit.
The 6-foot-3 netminder has one NHL start to his name, coming early in 2023 on January 12 against the Canadiens. He made 31 saves on 35 shots in a 4-3 loss.
At the time of his draft, Askarov was considered one of the best goalie prospects in over a decade. While that billing hasn’t necessarily held up, he remains a top-five netminding prospect in the league. Assuming they hold onto him, he is on track to take over from Saros as Nashville’s starter eventually.
Minor Transactions: 12/27/23
After taking the past three days off with a 14-game schedule, the NHL gets back to action today. As such, many teams are adding to their roster today, undoing transactions made before their off days for the Christmas holiday.
- One of those teams is the Blues, who recalled winger Mackenzie MacEachern from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds this morning. After spending last season with the Hurricanes, playing in eight playoff games en route to an Eastern Conference Final appearance, MacEachern returned to the team that drafted him on a two-year deal worth $1.55MM in free agency. A one-way contract structure suggested the Blues envisioned him having a spot on their roster out of the gate. However, he ended up as one of their final cuts before the regular season began and cleared waivers before being assigned to Springfield. He scored four goals and added eight assists for 12 points in 22 games there before the Blues recalled him earlier this month. MacEachern played in five games on his initial recall, recording one assist and averaging 9:04 per game. The Blues then papered him down to Springfield on Christmas Eve. MacEachern will likely be in the lineup tonight against the Stars.
- The Lightning recalled defenseman Sean Day from AHL Syracuse, marking the veteran pro’s third recall in the last week-and-a-half. Day, 25, has eight assists in 17 games with Syracuse this season, his fourth in the Lightning organization. The former OHL exceptional status grantee has gone 87 straight games without a goal in the minors, last lighting the lamp on April 8, 2022. He’s been rostered for four NHL games this month but has been a healthy scratch each time. Even with Mikhail Sergachev expected to remain out of the lineup tonight with a lower-body injury, Day will likely watch from the box as the Lightning take on the cross-state rival Panthers.
- The Capitals brought young forwards Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko back up from AHL Hershey this morning. Lapierre, 21, and Miroshnichenko, 19, had appeared in each of Washington’s last three games before the holiday break and are expected to be linemates on a unit centered by Evgeny Kuznetsov tonight against the Rangers. Miroshnichenko, the 20th overall pick in 2022, is still looking for his first NHL point and has posted a -1 rating in 9:32 of his average ice time since his first career recall earlier this month. As NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti points out, the move suggests none of Washington’s three injured forwards – Sonny Milano, T.J. Oshie and Max Pacioretty – are ready to return for tonight’s game.
- The Flyers recalled center Rhett Gardner from AHL Lehigh Valley after assigning him to the minors last Saturday. Gardner was rostered for the Flyers’ final three games before the holiday break but was a healthy scratch in all of them. The 27-year-old has yet to appear in a contest for Philadelphia after signing a two-year, two-way deal worth $825K in the minors and $1.5MM in the NHL in free agency and has just three goals and one assist in 21 games for Lehigh Valley this year.
- Defenseman Grant Hutton was a participant at the Islanders’ morning skate Wednesday, suggesting the team has recalled him from AHL Bridgeport, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. This is Hutton’s seventh recall since American Thanksgiving despite playing only two NHL contests. The Islanders have been keeping him in the minors as much as possible to extend his waiver-exempt clock, allowing them to keep him on the roster as their seventh defenseman on game days. Their ability to freely move him between leagues is coming to an end soon, though, as the 28-year-old can remain on the NHL roster for six more days until he requires waivers again to head to Bridgeport.
- Former AHL All-Star forward Tanner Fritz has left the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, the club he has played almost all of his pro career with, to sign a two-year deal with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Filling the forward spot opened by Fritz’s departure, Bridgeport recalled forward Jake Pivonka from their ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers. The Islanders originally signed Fritz as an undrafted college free agent out of Ohio State University, and he worked his way into the AHL by scoring 33 points in 43 games with the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate, the Kansas City Mavericks. Fritz ranks seventh all-time in points for Bridgeport, and will now head to a Minsk team that already boasts import talent such as Nick Merkley, Brett Ritchie, and Sam Anas. He’s going to attempt to aid Minsk’s offensive attack, a unit that has struggled this season as the team sits firmly outside of legitimate Gagarin Cup contention.
- Former Florida Panthers prospect Thomas Schemitsch has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star. He’ll likely join Kunlun at the conclusion of the Spengler Cup, where he is currently on Team Canada’s roster. The 27-year-old stands six-foot-four, 205 pounds and will bring size as well as over 300 games of experience in a top pro league (the AHL) to the Red Star blueline. Schemitsch spent last season with the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks, scoring 14 points in 49 games on 18:37 time-on-ice per game.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Devils Recall Nico Daws
The Devils recalled goaltender Nico Daws from the AHL’s Utica Comets Wednesday morning, a team announcement states.
Daws, 23, is with the Devils at their morning skate ahead of tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets. There is currently no injury designation for projected starter Vítek Vaněček or backup Akira Schmid. However, Vaněček has been sidelined on a short-term basis with an undisclosed injury multiple times this season, which caused him to miss a December 17 contest against the Ducks. Per the Star-Ledger’s Ryan Novozinsky, both Schmid and Vaněček are present alongside Daws at today’s morning skate.
If either Vaněček or Schmid cannot play tonight, Daws will dress as the backup. He has not made an NHL appearance since April 16, 2022, his last of 23 starts in the 2021-22 campaign.
Daws is still a promising young prospect, but Schmid lapped the German-born Canadian on the team’s depth chart last season. He was already pushed down further by the team’s acquisition of Vaněček in the summer of 2022. After recording a .904 SV% and 16-14-3 record in 33 games with Utica last season, Daws required offseason hip surgery that kept him out of action until early this month.
Once healthy, the Devils assigned Daws to Utica, where he’s since started three games. He’s received minimal goal support from the Comets offense, resulting in a 1-2-0 record, but he’s looked no worse for wear with a .929 SV%. Daws faced at least 30 shots in all three starts.
The Devils brought Daws back up from Utica on an emergency basis ahead of the contest against Anaheim, with Vaněček unable to dress. Daws sat on the bench as a backup to Schmid in that contest and was a healthy scratch for the team’s following game against the Flyers before being returned to the Comets last Wednesday.