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Minor Transactions: 03/24/19

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It was a busy day across the NHL yesterday; 28 of 31 teams took the ice, with games in the early afternoon on the east coast to late night on the west coast, the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets clinched playoff spots, and the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens won crucial games in their postseason push. There isn’t quite as much action today, with only five games on the docket, but the few match-ups are arguably even more important than any yesterday. After dropping the first game of a home-and-home, the Chicago Blackhawks will look to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Avalanche, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are also desperate for a win to get them back in the playoff picture, visiting the Vancouver Canucks. The Philadelphia Flyers cling to slim playoff hopes as they visit the Washington Capitals, as the Arizona Coyotes face a tough task of their own, also in dire need of ending their recent skid, as they go up against the New York Islanders on the road. Finally, the Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes could be jostling for wild card seeding when they face off in Raleigh tonight. With another slate of games that stretches all day long, it’s possible to watch each of these key match-ups today. While you’re doing so, follow along here to see what the teams are doing behind the scenes:

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced a pair of moves last night, just prior to their game, calling up forwards Sam Steel and Kiefer Sherwood from the nearby San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The Ducks are headed toward a bottom-five finish in the league this season and are testing out their young players as they already look toward next year. Steel, 20, has five points in 17 games with Anaheim this season, while Sherwood, 23, has been a more regular contributor with ten points in 47 games. One would expect both young forwards to be given every chance to earn a starting role in 2019-20, beginning with an increased workload down the stretch.
  • Arizona Coyotes prospect Dennis Busby  has joined the organization on a tryout basis for the rest of the season. The AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners announced that the Flint Firebirds standout, who missed much of the past two seasons due to injury, has been added to the roster on an ATO. It is commonplace for junior prospects to get some pro experience in the AHL late in the season on tryouts, but there is a little more at stake for Busby. The 2018 fifth-round pick has yet to be tendered an entry-level contract and the Coyotes may have some concern after he played in just 29 OHL games combined in the last two years. The puck-moving, right-shot defender could be a valuable asset and a strong showing in Tuscon would go a long way in proving to the Coyotes that he is worth holding on to. The Roadrunners also signed a familiar name to a PTO yesterday, adding former second-round pick and fan favorite Akim Aliu to the roster on loan from the ECHL. Aliu, now 29, is hockey’s foremost Nigerian-Ukrainian-Canadian player and, at 6’4″, 225 lbs., plays an entertaining physical brand of hockey, whether he’s lined up at defense or forward.
  • The Detroit Red Wings announced they have swapped emergency defensemen as the team has recalled Dylan McIlrath from the Grand Rapids Griffins and assigned Libor Sulak to the AHL. Sulak had been recalled Wednesday, but has been sidelined by an illness for the last two games, so the team opted to bring in McIlrath to replace him. The 26-year-old McIlrath was the 10th pick overall in the 2010 draft, but has appeared in just 43 NHL games since then and hasn’t played there since playing five games with the Florida Panthers in 2016-17. Since being acquired from Florida that same year, McIlrath has played exclusively for the Griffins since then.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward A.J. Greer from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. Greer, who has been going up and down several times already this season, was sent down on Thursday to the AHL. The 22-year-old has fared well in the AHL with 18 goals and 42 points in 48 games with the Eagles. He has a goal and an assist in 15 games with the Avalanche so far this year.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have recalled defenseman Lawrence Pilut from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The blueliner has appeared in 25 games for the Sabres this year, but was sent to Rochester in late February to work on his skills. With injuries to Zach Bogosian and Matt Hunwick injured, the team needs Pilut to help out. The 23-year-old was almost a point-per-game defenseman with the Amerks with 26 points in 28 games. He has a goal and six points with the Sabres in his rookie campaign.
  • The Los Angeles Kings announced they have recalled Michael Amadio from the Ontario Reign of the AHL and will go with the team on their upcoming three-game road trip. Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen adds the team will not take forward Brendan Leipsic on the road trip in favor of Amadio. The 22-year-old has played 37 games for L.A. this season with four goals and eight points, while posting six goals and 22 points in 24 games with the Reign.

Snapshots: Hughes, Stepan, AHL Deals

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The news is positive for Quinn Hughes, as his recent testing came back negative for a broken bone in his foot. The top prospect is expected to start skating soon and still make his debut before the end of the regular season. Hughes, who injured his foot blocking a shot at the very end of his collegiate season, cannot burn a year of his entry-level deal or become eligible for the 2021 expansion draft now that the Canucks have just eight games remaining in the regular season.

The dynamic defenseman finished with 33 points in 32 games for the University of Michigan and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker award. The seventh-overall pick from 2018 is expected to be a game-changing talent for the Canucks on the back end, and will give their defense corps a completely new look next season.

  • Who needs recovery timelines anyway? Derek Stepan, a notoriously quick healer, is once again about to return before originally expected. Craig Morgan of The Athletic reports that the Arizona Coyotes forward is a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, just over three weeks after he was given a four to six week timetable for his lower-body injury. Stepan had been carrying a huge amount of responsibility for the Coyotes when he went down, and his return will only help them on their quest for the playoffs. Arizona currently sits tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference with eight games to go.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed Colton Conrad to a two-year AHL contract which will start next season. Conrad will join the Marlies on an amateur tryout for the rest of this year. The 21-year old forward played four years at Western Michigan University and scored 38 points this season. Not to be outdone, the Iowa Wild have signed University of Minnesota captain Tyler Sheehy to an amateur tryout, bringing the homegrown talent into the organization after his college career came to an end. Sheehy is from Burnsville and had an outstanding career at Minnesota, recording 149 points in 149 games over four years.

Derek Stepan Ahead Of Schedule, Could Return This Weekend

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Red Wings center Jacob de la Rose was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Rangers due to a cardiac episode.  Today, head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters, including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, that while the youngster is doing okay now, he’s not expected to accompany the team as their road trip works its way out West.  This is the second time this season that de la Rose has had this issue as it crept up at the end of training camp when he was still with Montreal which resulted in him opening up the year on injured reserve.  Since joining the team via waivers, the 23-year-old has nine points in 60 games while winning just over 42% of his faceoffs.

Other injury notes around the league:

  • The Coyotes could be getting a key piece of their lineup back very soon. Head coach Rick Tocchet told Craig Morgan of The Athletic (Twitter link) that center Derek Stepan is “very very close” to returning and could play as soon as this weekend.  The veteran was pegged to miss four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury but he appears to be slightly ahead of schedule.  Arizona has a narrow lead on the second and final Wild Card spot in the West and they would certainly benefit from getting their forward ice time leader back in their lineup.
  • The Senators could soon have their top defenseman back. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Thomas Chabot could return to the lineup on Saturday in Edmonton despite being listed as out week-to-week last Monday.  The sophomore has been one of the few bright spots in Ottawa this season and is the highest-scoring player on their roster with 49 points in 62 games.  He’s likely to receive an invite to participate at the upcoming World Championships assuming his broken toe doesn’t present any additional issues upon his return.

Snapshots: Pekar, Miami, Yakupov

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After his season came to an end in the OHL, Matej Pekar is headed to join the Rochester Americans for the rest of the season. The 19-year old forward is currently injured and it is unclear if he’ll get into any actual games, but he can at least become familiar with the team and their facilities. Pekar was just a fourth-round pick last June, but has already become one of the more intriguing prospects for the Sabres after a solid season with the Barrie Colts.

Pekar recorded 36 points in 33 games and attended the World Juniors with the Czech Republic. The left-shot forward will see his entry-level deal slide to next season, and won’t start burning years even if he does get into some AHL action over the next few weeks.

  • It wasn’t a very successful season for Miami University (Ohio), and head coach Enrico Blasi has been fired because of it. Athletic Director David Sayler announced the decision today, explaining that he needs to see more competitive play out of his school as they try to battle in the NCHC—arguably the toughest conference in college hockey. Miami went just 5-17-2 this year and 45-84-15 under Blasi over the six seasons as part of the NCHC. Blasi had been head coach of the program for nearly two decades overall.
  • While reports surfaced this morning out of Russia that the Arizona Coyotes were one of a few teams interested in bringing Nail Yakupov back to the NHL, Craig Morgan of The Athletic threw cold water on the idea. Morgan tweeted that a league source called the report “completely inaccurate.” Yakupov found great success after heading back to the KHL this season, recording 23 goals in 47 games and being a big part of a St. Petersburg SKA team that looks poised to return to the Gagarin Cup finals. It’s unclear if there are other teams circling Yakupov to see if he’s willing to come back.

Pacific Notes: Raanta, Baertschi, Goldobin, Bennett

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Even thought the Arizona Coyotes lost to the Edmonton Oilers Saturday, the team was still able to come away with a point and still retain the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Their lead over Minnesota dropped to two points as the Wild won last night. However, with a legitimate shot a playoff berth this season, the Coyotes may get even better news if they can get in. According to AZ Central’s Richard Morin, there is a solid chance that goaltender Antti Raanta could be healthy enough to return for the playoffs.

That could create an interesting controversy, however, as one of the key reasons for the team’s success has been the recent play of backup Darcy Kuemper. The 28-year-old has been nothing short of outstanding since Raanta went down with a knee injury on Nov. 27, posting 20-11-3 record, with a .924 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA as the team’s starter. While Raanta’s return would change things in net, the team seems likely to stick with the hot hand.

“We have Darcy, who has been unbelievable for us and has given us a chance every night,” Coyotes goaltending coach Corey Schwab said. “He’s our guy, which means he’s our guy today and we’ll see what tomorrow brings. He’s done a great job at instilling confidence in the whole team. As far as how or when Antti Raanta is going to be back, nobody really knows. That’s a whole separate issue. It’s not even something for me to think about until we get there. Up until that point, there’s no question that Darcy has done enough to be the guy for us going forward.”

  • The Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green reported that forward Sven Baertschi has been cleared for contact but is not expected to play Sunday. The 26-year-old has been injured for a large chunk of the season with a concussion, but was more recently diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome in early February. In total, Baertschi has only appeared in 22 games this season, although he has struggled with injuries his entire career. Baertschi has never played more than 69 games throughout his career.
  • Sticking with the Canucks, Green also said that forward Nikolay Goldobin will be scratched Sunday and followed that with an interesting comment, according to TSN’s Jeff Paterson. ‘”You’ve got to bring something to the table,” said Green. “I just looked. He’s got 2+2 in the last 23 games. Those aren’t numbers that are really going to keep a guy in the league.”
  • There were a few people surprised when Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett was a scratch Saturday. However, Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun writes that the word is that Bennett is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. “We were hoping when we got into Winnipeg, in the morning, it would be better,” Calgary head coach Bill Peters said. “And it went the other way. It was worse, so he couldn’t go.” Bennett is second on the team in hits with 120 and has 12 goals and 14 assists in 69 games.

Coyotes Sign Kevin Bahl To An Entry-Level Contract

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The Coyotes have locked up one of their prospects, announcing the signing of defenseman Kevin Bahl to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  While not specified in the press release, the deal will commence in the 2019-20 season.

Bahl was selected in the second round (55th overall) back in June as a stay-at-home defender.  However, the 6’6 rearguard has taken a big step offensively this season, posting 33 points (5-28-33) in 66 games with the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL which is more than he put up in his first two seasons at the major junior level.

While many prospects signing at this time of the year will be making the jump to the pros, that won’t be the case for Bahl as the 67’s sit atop the OHL standings and are ranked fourth overall in the CHL rankings.  A lengthy postseason run is expected and as a junior-aged player, the 18-year-old would only be able to join Arizona’s AHL affiliate in Tucson once his junior is finished with their postseason run.

No Progress Made On Finding New Ownership Partner Or Arena Deal

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While there have been various reports throughout the season that the Coyotes were making progress on finding someone to add to their ownership group, Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic reports that no progress has been made on that front or their ongoing arena situation.  He notes that the club approached the NBA’s Phoenix Suns regarding a possible partnership of a downtown area but that Suns owner Robert Sarver wasn’t interested in such a venture.  With owner Andrew Barroway continuing to look for someone to add to the ownership group, it’s likely that this will be the focus for now and that arena talks will be on the backburner for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere out West:

  • The Blackhawks will likely be without goaltender Cam Ward for at least another week due to his knee injury, notes Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. The injury was sustained a week ago with an expected return timeline of seven-to-ten days so it appears he’s behind schedule in his recovery.  In the meantime, Corey Crawford will continue to get the bulk of the work as he continues to work his way back following another concussion while youngster Collin Delia will remain as the backup.
  • Stars blueline prospect Gavin Cecconi is still leaning towards eschewing signing with Dallas and opting for free agency, reports Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required). The 2015 draft pick wrapped up his senior year with Michigan and may be looking to the open market in the hopes of finding a quicker path to playing time as when healthy, Dallas has good defensive depth.  The Stars will hold Cecconi’s rights up to August 15th.
  • Kings prospect Kale Clague has a broken bone in his foot that will keep him out of the lineup for the next four weeks, relays Curtis Zupke of the LA Times (Twitter link). The defenseman has had a decent start to his professional career with 29 points in 52 games with AHL Ontario and he had a chance to be a recall down the stretch to get him some NHL experience.

Minor Transactions: 03/08/19

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After the Columbus Blue Jackets failed to gain any ground on the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes last night, the latter two will try to spread the gap even further tonight. The Hurricanes welcome in the powerhouse Winnipeg Jets while the Canadiens continue their west coast swing with a stop off in Anaheim to meet John Gibson and the Ducks. Things could start to look quite dire for the Blue Jackets if they fall back even further, a notion that seemed impossible when they acquired several assets at the deadline.

  • It’s a day that ends in Y, so Matt Read is involved in another transaction. This time the veteran forward has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild, his seventh move since the beginning of March. Read still has just six games played for the Wild this season.
  • Matt Luff is not quite at Read’s level, but he’s used to the assignment notice himself. Today Luff was sent back to the minor leagues by the Los Angeles Kings after just two games on his most recent call-up. Luff has 11 points in 33 games for the Kings this season, including a goal on Tuesday night against the Canadiens.
  • Hudson Fasching has been returned to the Tucson Roadrunners without playing a game for the Arizona Coyotes. The 23-year old was acquired by the Coyotes last summer, but still has yet to get into any game action at the NHL level. In 22 contests with the Buffalo Sabres, Fasching recorded three points.
  • Karson Kuhlman is heading back to the AHL after just one day with the Boston Bruins. The 23-year old forward has two points in five games for the Bruins this season, his first year of professional hockey.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Justin Bailey back to the AHL, the team announced. Bailey, acquired earlier this season from the Buffalo Sabres, was held scoreless in six games with the Flyers on the call-up and will look to spark his offense back down with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
  • The AHL’s registry lists Colorado Avalanche forward Sheldon Dries as having been returned to the Colorado Eagles. The moves comes as little surprise, as Dries has been a frequent back-and-forth player this season, suiting up for 40 games with the Avs and 13 with the Eagles.
  • Just prior to puck drop on their match-up with the Montreal Canadiens, the Anaheim Ducks have announced that young forwards Sam Steel and Kevin Roy have been reassigned to the AHL. The duo have played the majority of the season with the San Diego Gulls but Steel, a 2016 first-round pick, has skated in 16 games with the Ducks while Roy, the former Northeastern University standout, has seen just three games.

Jason Demers To Return To Arizona Lineup

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He wasn’t expected to return this season and yet here he is. Jason Demers will be activated from injured reserve and join the Arizona Coyotes lineup for their game tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, his first NHL action since November 15th. Demers played just 18 games for the Coyotes before suffering a knee injury that at the time was expected to keep him out for the remainder of 2018-19.

Demers, 30, was acquired by the Coyotes prior to last season and ended up averaging more than 21 minutes a night through 69 games. The right-handed veteran has long put up positive possession statistics and can contribute offensive at even-strength and on the powerplay, giving the team a versatile option on the blue line. That versatility has been obviously lacking for much of this season while the team has dealt with injury after injury.

His return comes just as Jordan Oesterle will come out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, and will give the Coyotes a boost right when they need it most. The team is on a six-game winning streak and currently sits just two points behind the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars for the wild card spots in the Western Conference. In what has been an injury-ravaged season, the Coyotes seem to have a real chance to make the playoffs if they continue to show improvements down the stretch. Demers’ presence will be a welcome on one the ice tonight.

Poll: Which Western Wildcard Team Has Best Chance To Reach Playoffs

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The Minnesota Wild pulled off a big victory Saturday when they defeated the Western Conference’s top team in the Calgary Flames. Not only was it a big win, but with five straight victories, it has propelled Minnesota into the final wild card spot for the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs, something that seemed unlikely just a week ago. Suddenly what looked to already be a contentious race for the final playoff spot, it has become even more muddled as four teams are vying for the final two wild card spots.

The Dallas Stars currently hold the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 71 points, while Minnesota owns that second spot with 70 points. However, two other teams are right there, including the Arizona Coyotes who have 69 points, while the Colorado Avalanche have 68 points.

Dallas is the most interesting team as they were buyers at the trade deadline, picking up defenseman Ben Lovejoy and Mats Zuccarello. However, while Zuccarello looked to be a good fit who energized the Stars’ struggling second line after posting a goal and an assist in his first game, he broke his arm late in that first game after blocking a shot and will now miss at least three more weeks. That hasn’t stopped the Stars, however, who have won two in a row and three of their last four.

The Coyotes have also been red hot, having gone from a team that had almost no chance at a playoff spot earlier this year to a team that has won six straight and nine of their last 11 games and actually could catch the Vegas Golden Knights as they are only four points behind them in the Pacific Division. All of this is with a gluttony of injuries to Coyotes’ players. The team is expected to get Jason Demers back from injury on Tuesday and could get Michael Grabner back within the week. Throw in the impressive play of Darcy Kuemper in goal and the team has been hard to beat.

Colorado is the forgotten team, who early on seemed to be the obvious candidate to seize the third seed in the Central Division, but the team bottomed out, struggling immensely throughout December, January and part of February. However, the Avalanche have won six of their last nine and look to be fighting their way back into the playoffs. Armed with some of the best players in the NHL in Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, the Avalanche have every chance to force their way back into the playoffs.

So, which team has the best chance to claim a spot in the Western Conference playoffs?

Pro Hockey Rumor app users, click here to vote.

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