Blue Jackets Place Patrik Laine On Injured Reserve, Recall Brendan Gaunce
The Blue Jackets have placed forward Patrik Laine on injured reserve retroactive to December 14, per a team release. In a corresponding transaction, the team recalled forward Brendan Gaunce from AHL Cleveland under emergency conditions.
The team already announced Laine was expected to miss six weeks of action after sustaining a clavicle fracture in Thursday’s game against the Maple Leafs. The move does not change his timeline for a return and is purely for roster management purposes.
2023-24 is quickly becoming a season to forget for Laine. This is now the third time he’ll be held out of the lineup for an extended period of time this year, missing nine games near the beginning of the season with an upper-body injury and missing three games earlier this month due to illness. He was also made a healthy scratch for a game against the Flyers on November 19, bringing his absence total to 14 out of Columbus’ 32 games this season.
When in the lineup, Laine has been a shell of the near-point-per-game player he’s been over the last two seasons in Columbus. He’s scored just six goals and nine points in 18 games on the season, and his ice time has dipped to a career-low 15:13 per game under first-year head coach Pascal Vincent.
Gaunce comes up to the NHL on his first recall of the season. The 29-year-old minor-league veteran was in the later rounds of the Blue Jackets’ cuts from training camp and cleared waivers in early October.
The 2012 first-round pick does have over 150 games of NHL experience dating back to his debut with the Canucks in the 2015-16 campaign. He made a quick stop in Boston and spent one season overseas with the Swedish Hockey League’s Växjö Lakers before arriving in Columbus in 2021. Since then, he’s primarily served as a top-six option for Cleveland, racking up 61 points in 80 AHL games over the past three seasons. So far this season, he ranks third on the team in scoring, with six goals and 15 points in 24 games. Slated for unrestricted free agency next summer, Gaunce will serve as the team’s 13th forward for the time being and is unlikely to draw into the lineup tomorrow against the Sabres.
Bruins Loan Matthew Poitras To Team Canada For 2024 World Juniors
The Bruins have loaned rookie center Matthew Poitras to Team Canada for the upcoming 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, a team release states.
Poitras, 19, is a tremendous addition to a Canada roster that’s thinner on offense than we’re used to seeing. Canadiens prospect Owen Beck is the only returnee from last year’s group, which captured the gold medal thanks to one of the best single-tournament showings of all time from then-17-year-old Connor Bedard. The roster still features six recent first-round picks on offense and one future first-overall selection: 17-year-old Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, who is third in NCAA Division I men’s hockey in points per game.
When Hockey Canada announced the cuts from their preliminary roster last week, they left a spot open for one forward to join the team, hoping an NHL team would part with a rostered under-20 prospect. That spot will go to Poitras, the 54th overall pick in 2022, who few expected to crack the Bruins’ roster out of camp.
Poitras’ 13 points in 27 games rank eighth on the Bruins in scoring, although he’s seen a diminished role as the calendar shifted to December. Head coach Jim Montgomery has made Poitras a healthy scratch in two of the last five games after playing in all of Boston’s first 24 contests.
Still, given how well he fits into the Boston lineup, Poitras is expected to return to the Bruins after the tournament ends instead of being loaned out to his junior team, the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He’s averaged 14:06 per game this season for Boston, ranking seventh among their forwards and solidly positioning him in a top-nine role.
Assuming Canada advances to the medal games, Poitras will miss the Bruins’ next eight games at a minimum. The tournament wraps up on January 5, 2024, making him doubtful for the Bruins’ game against the Lightning on January 6, meaning at least a nine-game absence is most likely.
Blackhawks Place Joey Anderson On Injured Reserve
The Blackhawks placed winger Joey Anderson on injured reserve Monday morning, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports. Anderson left Sunday’s loss to the Canucks with a left shoulder injury and did not return.
Anderson, 25, will miss at least seven days, although the team has not issued a specific timeline for his return to the lineup. He had played in 13 straight games since the Blackhawks recalled him from AHL Rockford in late November, recording five assists and a +5 rating while averaging 13:21 per game. His 55.8% Corsi share at even strength leads all Blackhawks players by a wide margin.
Chicago is already without two other regular forwards, Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou, due to long-term injuries. Defensemen Seth Jones and Jarred Tinordi remain on injured reserve with shorter-term ailments.
It’s been a strong showing for a player tabbed as an NHL-AHL tweener, passing through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. A third-round pick of the Devils in 2016, Anderson is now with his third NHL organization after spending parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs. The Blackhawks acquired him from Toronto in February of last season in the Jake McCabe/Sam Lafferty trade and re-signed him to a one-year, two-way deal worth $800K in the NHL and $475K in the minors in June.
Before his recall, Anderson was off to a torrid start in Rockford, posting seven goals and 16 points through 14 games. While he’s been a strong minor-league producer since turning pro with the Devils in 2018, this is his first time producing above a point-per-game pace.
Now with 109 NHL games under his belt, Anderson is slowly approaching full-time depth NHLer status after playing a career-high 38 games last season for Toronto and Chicago. He’s likely to remain on the Blackhawks’ roster when he’s ready to return. As he’s played more than ten games since last clearing waivers, he must clear again if the Blackhawks attempt to return him to the minors.
Anderson will be a restricted free agent next summer. He is eligible for salary arbitration for the second straight season, although he avoided such a fate last summer by signing an early extension.
Dallas Stars Recall Matt Murray
The Dallas Stars have used an emergency recall to bring goaltender Matt Murray up to the NHL roster. This move comes after the team was forced to ice St. Louis’ emergency backup goalie, Joey O’Brien, as their backup when they faced the Blues on Saturday. Playing with O’Brien as backup on Saturday made the Stars eligible for an emergency recall.
Murray – who shares a name with a goaltender currently on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ long-term injured reserve – has appeared in 13 games this season with Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. He’s managed an 8-4-1 record in those matchups, adding a .908 save percentage. The AHL’s Stars have been platooning Murray with 22-year-old Remi Poirier, who has a 6-3-2 record and .901 save percentage in 11 appearances of his own.
But, unlike Poirier, Murray has made his NHL debut, playing in three games for Dallas last season. He went 1-2-0 in the trio of games, saving 54 of a possible 64 shots for a .844 save percentage. Murray, now 25, signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent after the end of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s 2021-22 campaign. The netminder had previously spent five seasons with the school, appearing in a total 121 games and setting a .916 save percentage. Murray has matched that save percentage through his first 53 career AHL games, after making his professional debut at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Murray will join Scott Wedgewood as Dallas’ goalie pair for the foreseeable future, with typical starter Jake Oettinger out with a lower-body injury and without a timeline to return. Oettinger abruptly left in the first period of team’s December 15th game and hasn’t played since.
Aaron Dell Joins Carolina On PTO Agreement
Goaltender Aaron Dell has joined the Carolina Hurricanes on a professional try-out contract. This moves comes after Carolina placed Antti Raanta on waivers and subsequently sent him to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
Dell hasn’t played yet this season, spending most of last year with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. He appeared in 38 games with the club, setting a 15-17-4 record and recording a .898 save percentage. Dell also received four NHL games last season – going 0-3-0 and stopping 94 of a possible 103 shots for a .913 save percentage. Now 34, Dell has become a prominent option for goaltending depth around the league, with Carolina set to become the fourth franchise that the netminder has suited up for.
Dell’s journey to the big leagues began at the University of North Dakota, where he played three seasons before setting his sights on pros. But his options were limited after going undrafted in the NHL Draft, with the goalie opting to move to the Allen Americans of the now-defunct Central Hockey League to kick off his pro career in 2012-13. Dell moved to the ECHL for the following season, playing well enough to warrant an AHL call-up mid-season and an invite to the San Jose Sharks’ training camp ahead of the 2014-15 season. Dell wouldn’t receive an NHL contract out of camp but, after continuing his strong performances in the minors, signed his first deal with the Sharks in March of 2015. He would receive his NHL debut in the 2016-17 season, a year where Dell played in 20 games and set a career-high .931 save percentage.
Now, eight seasons later, Dell will look to continue his NHL career in Carolina. The veteran pro has totaled 130 career NHL games, going 50-50-13 and recording a .905 save percentage.
Metropolitan Notes: Andersen, Daws, Oshie
In some incredibly fortunate news for both the player and the organization, reports are confirming that goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes, Frederik Andersen, has been medically cleared to resume skating, and is about one month away from a potential return (X Link). Andersen has been out for over a month and a half after the discovery of a blood clotting issue during medical testing.
Entering the season as a Stanley Cup favorite out of the Eastern Conference, Carolina’s goaltending carousel this season has been holding them back, as all three of Andersen, Antti Raanta, and Pyotr Kochetkov have a combined save percentage of .876 on the year. These issues have led the Hurricanes to make some tough decisions, most notably by sending Raanta through waivers for reassignment to the AHL, yesterday.
Only playing six games on the season up to this point, Andersen still holds a .894 SV% and a 2.87 GAA, the former still being the best on the team. Currently, Carolina is occupying the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with only one point separating them from being on the outside looking in. If they hope to regain some momentum for the playoffs, they will need to reintroduce some stability in the crease.
Other notes:
- Already confirming he will serve as a backup tonight behind Akira Schmid, the New Jersey Devils announced they had recalled goaltender Nico Daws from their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Team reporter, Amanda Stein, noted that goaltender Vitek Vanecek felt “off” physically during practice, and the team elected to keep him out of the lineup for the team’s matchup tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
- The Washington Capitals announced veteran forward for the team, T.J. Oshie, would be out of the lineup tonight with a lower-body injury. The news comes after Oshie already missed 12 days with an upper-body injury a few weeks ago, returning for a four-game stretch in the meantime. Over the four games upon his return, Oshie has scored one goal and two points, averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time per game.
Los Angeles Kings Send Down Moverare, Place Copley On LTIR
Without much clarification as to the nature of the injury, reports emerged two days ago that goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings, Pheonix Copley left the team’s practice and had to be helped off the ice. Today, the Kings announced that they have placed Copley on the long-term injured reserve, and also loaned defenseman Jacob Moverare to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Joining forward Viktor Arvidsson on the LTIR, the team will now have a touch over $2.5MM in current cap space, allowing them to comfortably carry David Rittich as the backup goaltender for the foreseeable future. After giving Los Angeles some much-needed stability in the net last season, the Kings rewarded Copley’s efforts with a one-year, $1.5MM extension for this year.
Largely serving as the team’s starting goaltender for much of last season, Copley had returned to the backup role this year, after being handily outplayed by free-agent acquisition, Cam Talbot. In eight starts this year, Copley carries a 4-1-2 record, coupled with a .870 SV% and a 3.16 GAA.
Comparatively, in somewhat of a night-and-day difference, Talbot leads the organization with 19 starts on the season, holding a 13-5-2 record, and impressively maintaining a .926 SV% and 2.02 GAA. With adequate depth in the crease throughout the entirety of the organization, the Kings should be able to weather the storm without Copley for the foreseeable future.
Also a part of the transaction this evening, Moverare is in his third season of being a depth defenseman for Los Angeles, typically finding himself in the AHL with Ontario. Last season being his most successful in the minor leagues, Moverare played in a total of 62 games for the Reign, scoring four goals and 26 points overall.
Although being used as a primary candidate for paper transactions coming out of the Kings organization this season, this will be Moverare’s eighth promotion and demotion of the year. Throughout his lengthy list of callups, Moverare has only suited up in two games for Los Angeles, failing to score a point after averaging 14 and a half minutes of ice time per night.
Hurricanes Assign Antti Raanta To AHL
Dec 17, 3:23 p.m.: The Hurricanes reached an agreement with their former AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to find Raanta a home in the minors, per a team release. Raanta joins another NHL veteran, Keith Kinkaid, in the struggling Wolves’ crease. Chicago’s decision to go independent has quickly backfired, and they sit near the bottom of the league with a 6-13-3 record. If Raanta suits up, it will be his first AHL appearance since suiting up with AHL Tucson in 2019-20 while on a conditioning stint.
Dec. 17, 1:03 p.m.: Raanta has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to a minor-league team, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. Without a dedicated AHL affiliate, it’s unclear where the team will assign Raanta. It’s unlikely he would accept an assignment to ECHL Norfolk.
Dec. 16: The Hurricanes have had a tough time between the pipes lately and a shakeup could be on the way as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that goaltender Antti Raanta has been placed on waivers.
The 34-year-old inked a one-year, $1.5MM contract on the opening day of free agency to stay with Carolina, taking a $500K pay cut in the process. Raanta opted to do so despite coming off of a pretty strong showing, one that saw him post a 2.23 GAA and a .910 SV% in 27 games last season, numbers that were better than league average. Clearly, he was comfortable with the Hurricanes and vice versa so him sticking around certainly made plenty of sense on the surface.
Unfortunately for both sides, things have not gone well at all. Raanta has struggled mightily this season, putting up a 3.61 GAA along with a .854 SV% in 14 games. Friday’s game against Nashville was one to forget as he allowed six goals on 30 shots in an overtime loss which appears to be the last straw.
That said, it’s not as if Carolina’s other two netminders have been demonstrably better either. Prior to being sidelined with blood clots, Frederik Andersen had a career-low .894 SV% in his six appearances while Pyotr Kochetkov has been hit or miss in his 14 games, checking in with a .890 SV%. Those numbers are below the NHL average this season as well.
With Andersen still out indefinitely, the timing of this move is particularly noteworthy. The only other goalie that Carolina has on an NHL contract is prospect Yaniv Perets who is playing with ECHL Norfolk with the Hurricanes not having their own AHL affiliate this year. Are they really comfortable running with him as the backup to Kochetkov?
Accordingly, it’s possible that Raanta’s waiving is the precursor to a trade. Speculatively, the other team might not want to take Raanta’s contract on, or, conversely, want to make sure he’d be available to be recalled from the minors if they were to move a netminder. Montreal, Columbus, Buffalo, and Detroit are currently carrying three goalies on their active roster at the moment with those teams having varying degrees of interest in dropping to two. Meanwhile, there may be other teams that are willing to move one of their two current goaltenders as well.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that Raanta doesn’t have to be sent down if he clears waivers on Sunday at 1 PM CT. This could just be a move to give them a bit of extra flexibility when it comes to day-to-day cap management or to try to send Raanta a message to help try to get him back on track. With the roster freeze now just a week away, it shouldn’t be long before we find out what route Carolina intends to take with the veteran. If he does clear and is sent down, Carolina will be able to clear a prorated $1.15MM off their salary cap.
Senators Recall Angus Crookshank From AHL’s Belleville
The Ottawa Senators have recalled winger Angus Crookshank from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Crookshank has appeared in 24 games for the minor league club this season, scoring a team-high 10 goals and 21 points. This performance comes after Crookshank managed 26 goals and 47 points in 71 AHL games last season, good for fourth on Belleville in scoring.
This is the first call-up of the 23-year-old Crookshank’s career, which began after Ottawa drafted the forward in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Crookshank went on to play in three seasons with the University of New Hampshire, totaling 90 games and 63 points with the school. He turned pro following the conclusion of New Hampshire’s 2020-21 season, finishing the year with 16 points in 19 AHL games. But despite the hot start to his professional career, Crookshank was forced out of the entire 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery on his knee. He’s returned strong for the Belleville Senators, though, and earned his first shot at an NHL debut as a result.
Ottawa is currently facing a string of forward injuries, missing both Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier for their Sunday game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is also uncertain when Vladimir Tarasenko will return, with the top scorer questionable for Sunday.
The Senators also recalled forward Jiri Smejkal in response to their list of injuries. Smejkal recently appeared in his first two career NHL games, going without a point in either contest. The 27-year-old is in his first NHL season after seven years in various top leagues across Europe. Ottawa will need to turn to an extra forward – likely Smejkal – with Rourke and Chartier out. But if Tarasenko also misses Sunday’s matchup, Crookshank could find himself primed for his first NHL game.
Minor Transactions: 12/16/2023
It’s ramp-up time for international hockey across the world. The 2023 World Junior A Challenge will play its medal games on Sunday, the Spengler Cup is 10 days away from its kickoff, matched by the kickoff of the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships kicking off on the same day. Teams are finalizing their lineups and beginning travel for the latter two tournaments and with an uptick in games has come an uptick in player movement. As always, we’ll keep track of notable player transactions here:
- 153-game veteran of the NHL Michael Hutchinson has signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapid Griffins that will carry the goalie through the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Hutchinson has appeared in 13 games for Grand Rapids this season under a professional try-out contract. He gets promoted to a full contract after setting a 5-7-1 record and .895 save percentage with the Griffins. Hutchinson has spent the last five seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL, failing to record more than 30 games in any league since the 2015-16 season. The now 33-year-old goaltender has played all across North America, playing for five different NHL clubs and seven different AHL clubs since becoming a pro in 2010-11. Hutchinson was drafted by the Boston Bruins – a club he never played an NHL game for – in the third round of the 2008 NHL Draft.
- Belarusian National Team player Shane Prince has signed a new, one-year contract with Spartak Moscow of the KHL. This deal will carry him through the rest of the 2023-24 season. Prince has become a prominent member of Russia’s top league since moving to the country for the 2018-19 season. He’s since totaled 167 points in 256 games in the KHL, intermixed with 19 appearances and 12 points in the National League, Switzerland’s top league. Prince also began playing with Belarus’ national team at the 2021 World Cup, and other international matchups that year, and most recently joined the team in their win of the Channel One Cup. Prince was once a highly-regarded NHL draft prospect, hearing his name called by the Ottawa Senators in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft. But despite a strong OHL career, Prince was never able to get it going in the NHL or AHL. He totaled 38 points in 128 NHL games, and 150 points in 210 AHL games, before his move to Russia.
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