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Coyotes Considered Claiming Jordan Schmaltz Off Waivers Earlier This Week

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Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler has been a highly speculated trade candidate in recent weeks.  He’s a pending unrestricted free agent and Vancouver currently is on the outside looking in at a playoff spot so there is certainly a case to be made that they should move him.  However, Edler has a full no-trade clause and has indicated in the past that his preference would be to remain with the team, something he recently reiterated to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre:

I’ve lived here for most of my adult life. I started a family here and the city feels like home. But the organization has been good to me, too. I’ve been treated well and given chances to improve and play a lot.

My best scenario is to get that chance (to win again) here. We have some work to do and there’s a lot of learning and a lot of teaching. But for sure, we have young, talented players who are going to keep developing. It’s no fun to lose like we did last year, but it’s exciting to go through a change like this and be part of it until we get good again.

Edler has 19 points in 30 games with the Canucks this season while playing over 23 minutes a night which would make him an enticing candidate to contenders.  However, there’s no guarantee that Vancouver can convince him to waive his no-trade clause before next month’s trade deadline.

Elsewhere out West:

  • Wild center Eric Fehr will miss one-to-two weeks with what head coach Bruce Boudreau is calling a ‘body injury’, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He was injured early on Monday night following a late hit from Montreal’s Kenny Agostino.  Minnesota has been carrying 14 forwards on their roster so it’s unlikely that they’ll call anyone up to replace Fehr, who has 10 points in 41 games so far this season.
  • The Coyotes gave some consideration to claiming Blues defensemen Jordan Schmaltz off waivers earlier this week, reports Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He also happens to be Nick Schmaltz’s brother, who Arizona acquired earlier this year.  However, with seven blueliners already on their roster, they decided to pass.  As Schmaltz is now in the minors and on a cheap contract ($700K through next season), he could still be of interest to a team that wants extra injury insurance in the AHL, something that wouldn’t have been an option had a team claimed him off the wire.

Minor Transactions: 01/09/19

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It’s a day off for all but six NHL teams today, with only three games scheduled for this evening. Of those three the clash between Colorado and Calgary strikes as the most important, given their respective positions in the Western Conference. The Flames are trying to hold onto first place in the Pacific Division while Colorado is just trying to hold onto a playoff spot, meaning these two points are extremely important to both clubs. While they and the rest of the league prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves of the day.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Garrett Wilson from the minor leagues, after placing Zach Aston-Reese on injured reserve. Aston-Reese suffered an injury in last night’s game and could be out for a while, providing Wilson with another opportunity at the NHL level. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins captain has just two points in 14 NHL games this season but provides a physical presence for the club that may be lacking elsewhere.
  • Dan Renouf is on his way back to the Charlotte Checkers after just a day in the NHL, a reward for the hard work he has put in at the AHL level this season. Renouf has just one NHL game to his name during three years of professional hockey, but has been the Checkers’ most reliable defenseman for much of the season.
  • Michael Bunting will join the Arizona Coyotes today, giving the team another option while Josh Archibald is awaiting the birth of a child. Bunting has 18 points in 22 minor league games this season.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have brought up goaltender Maxime Lagace from Chicago of the AHL.  He will take the place of Malcolm Subban who is day-to-day with an illness.  Lagace has played in 18 games with the Wolves this season, posting a 2.72 GAA and a .898 SV%.

Nick Schmaltz Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Arizona Coyotes are back in action tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils, but they’ll be without one of their talented young forwards. Nick Schmaltz has been moved to injured reserve today, and Craig Morgan of The Athletic tweets that the forward could be “out a while” with his lower-body injury. The team has recalled Laurent Dauphin in the meantime, and is listing Schmaltz as “week-to-week.”

Schmaltz has been a dynamic offensive presence since joining the Coyotes, showing just why they felt he was worth trading top prospect Dylan Strome away to the Chicago Blackhawks. With 14 points in 17 games since switching clubs, the 22-year old has already climbed ahead of full-time players like Nick Cousins, Christian Fischer and Lawson Crouse. That’s exactly what the Coyotes needed, and what they’ll sorely miss with him on the sideline.

Arizona has scored just 101 goals on the season, and in a year that they were hoping to take a substantial step forward are now just 17-21-2. Without a big turnaround the team is destined to miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, something that eventually will force upper management to take a close look at who is steering the ship. The development simply hasn’t been there from some of the team’s key young players, something that has been magnified given their long list of injuries. Schmaltz’ absence will give an opportunity for someone else, but they’d certainly rather have him on the ice.

Coyotes Send Calvin Pickard To Tucson On Conditioning Stint

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It’s been more than a month since the Arizona Coyotes claimed goaltender Calvin Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers. However, in all that time, Pickard hasn’t seen one minute of hockey with the Coyotes, which prompted the team to announce they intend their netminder to the Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint.

Pickard has had a rough time of it the last couple of years as he started with the Colorado Avalanche, but got taken by Vegas in the expansion draft. However, it didn’t take Vegas long to realize that they didn’t want him as their back-up to Marc-Andre Fleury, instead claiming Malcolm Subban on waivers, while putting Pickard on waivers and eventually trading him to Toronto. Pickard only played one game with Toronto, spending most of the season last year with the AHL Toronto Marlies, which he helped win a Calder Cup Trophy. However, he became a popular goaltender at the beginning of the season as he was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers, who were dealing with injuries and made 11 appearances for the team. However, he struggled, posting just four wins and a .863 save percentage. Once the team got healthier, the Flyers placed him back on waivers and was claimed by Arizona.

The Coyotes needed a goaltender to fill in as a backup for Antti Raanta, who is likely out for the season after complications with surgery. However, the play of Adin Hill and backup Darcy Kuemper this season has made Pickard expendable as Hill has filled in nicely for Raanta stead. Regardless, the team holds onto Pickard as insurance and now hopes to get him some work in the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/18

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Saturday is an extremely busy day on the NHL calendar as there are the maximum 15 games on the slate with only Columbus getting the day off.  With that in mind, there is bound to be a lot of roster movement.  We’ll keep tabs of those moves here.

  • With winger Alex Chiasson headed for injured reserve, the Oilers announced the recall of winger Kailer Yamamoto from AHL Bakersfield. The 20-year-old has had some success in his first stint in the minors, collecting four goals and four assists in 11 games since being sent down last month.  Meanwhile, the loss of Chiasson certainly stings as his 16 goals place him third on the team in that department behind only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
  • The Stars have brought back winger Roope Hintz per a team release. The rookie has split the season between Dallas and Texas of the AHL and has had a fair bit of success offensively in the minors, posting 19 points in 17 games.  He has held his own in the NHL as well, logging 11:41 per night in 14 contests while picking up a pair of goals and an assist.
  • The Sabres announced the recall of goaltender Scott Wedgewood from AHL Rochester. He’s taking the place of goalie Linus Ullmark who missed practice on Friday due to illness.  Wedgewood does have some NHL experience under his belt after playing 20 games with Arizona last year and four with New Jersey before that but Buffalo will likely call on Carter Hutton to play in Ullmark’s absence.
  • Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen is day-to-day with a groin injury. Accordingly, Toronto announced the recall of goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo on an emergency basis from the AHLs Marlies.  The 25-year-old has struggled this season, posting a 4.12 GAA with a .866 SV% in 11 games thus far.
  • Two weeks ago, the Lightning weren’t planning to send defenseman Slater Koekkoek on a conditioning stint. They’ve had a change of heart as he has now been loaned to AHL Syracuse.  The 24-year-old last played on November 19th and has been a healthy scratch since then.  Koekkoek’s conditioning stint can last for up to two weeks.
  • Following the injury to Thomas Chabot on Friday, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defensemen Stefan Elliott and Christian Wolanin from AHL Belleville.  Ottawa had two vacant roster spots so no corresponding move needs to be made.  Elliott was acquired from Pittsburgh earlier this month and has already played in two games with the Sens but has spent most of the year at the minor league level.  Meanwhile, Wolanin has been quite productive in the minors with 18 points in 26 games while getting into one game with Ottawa back in late October. The Senators have also recalled forward Jack Rodewald, although it is unclear if he will play tonight. Rodewald has been a frequent call-up this season, but to this point has played in just one game for Ottawa.
  • The Islanders announced (via Twitter) that winger Michael Dal Colle has been recalled from Bridgeport of the AHL.  He takes the place of winger Jordan Eberle who was placed on IR retroactive to December 23rd.  The 22-year-old didn’t fare too well in his first NHL stint but he has been quite productive with the Sound Tigers, averaging a point per game over 28 appearances.
  • Dillon Dube is on his way back up to Calgary, as the Flames have recalled the impressive first-year pro from the AHL’s Stockton Heat. Dube began the season with the Flames, recording five points in 20 games, but since a late-November reassignment to the Heat, Dube has been a point-per-game player in the minors. Dube is expected to slot into the starting lineup right away tonight, taking the place of Michael Frolik.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled free agent addition Matt Bartkowski for the first time this season, as the veteran defenseman will finally get back to the highest level. Bartkowski has made double-digit NHL appearances in each of the past six seasons, including an 80-game effort with the Vancouver Canucks in 2015-16. However, Bartkowski was very much a part-time player for the Calgary Flames the past two years and has even struggled to make much of a difference for the AHL’s Iowa Wild this season. However, with Nick Seeler presently sidelined, Minnesota opted to go with the experienced 30-year-old rather than one of their younger defensive options.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have assigned forward Michael Bunting to the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, according to AZ Sports’ Matt Layman. Bunting was recalled on Thursday and played against Los Angeles, playing 9:36 on the ice, registering only one hit. He will return to Tucscon where he has six goals and 18 points in 20 games there. Bunting was expendable with the return of Vinnie Hinostroza.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have assigned forward Adam Gaudette to the Utica Comets of the AHL, according to Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal. Gaudette was recalled on Oct. 15 due to injuries and managed to stay with the team even when those players returned in a bottom-line role. The 2018 Hobey Baker award winner was averaging just 10:09 of ATOI this season and had just two goals and six points. A return to the AHL where he can get more significant ice time would be better for the young forward in his development.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have swapped out defenseman, recalling defenseman Andy Welinski from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, while assigning Andrej Sustr there at the same time. Welinski last played for the Ducks in November where he played 11 games for Anaheim, posting one assist, while averaging 15:09 of ATOI. Sustr has only appeared in five games for the Ducks this season. CapFriendly adds that the Ducks also returned goaltender Kevin Boyle to San Diego. He was recalled Friday to fill in as an emergency backup while John Gibson and Ryan Miller dealt with injuries. His demotion suggests that one of them is ready to return to the active roster.

World Junior Notes: Eriksson Ek, Czech Republic, Hughes, Keyser

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With the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship underway in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, those teams that have yet to fill out their rosters continue to do so in the midst of the first round. Sweden made a notable addition to close out their roster, adding another goaltender in Olle Eriksson Ek, the IIHF announced. The 19-year-old keeper was a fifth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2017 and was a backup for Sweden at the WJC last year. Eriksson Ek is having an underwhelming season with BIK Karlskoga of the Allsvenskan, the Swedish minor leagues, and has yet to appear in the SHL. However, the younger brother of Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek has undeniable athleticism and ability and was worthy of a roster spot again for the Swedes. However, so long as Samuel Ersson, a Philadelphia Flyers fifth-rounder this year, continues his hot start to the tournament, Eriksson Ek is unlikely to see any action.

  • The Czech Republic has also rounded out their roster with addition of a pair of NHL prospects. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman notes that the Czechs have added forward Jan Jenik and defenseman Radim Salda to their tournament team. Jenik was a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes back in June and has been a regular contributor for Bili Tygri Liberec of the top Czech league. Jenik is a smart, hard-working player who will bring a boost to the bottom-six for the Czechs. Salda is also a recent selection, a seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Salda currently plays for Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL and brings the offensive touch that is typical of defenders out of that league. Salda is having a strong season for Rimouski and could prove to be a major addition on the Czech blue line. The Czechs have yet to win a game in regulation through two contests and face a tough challenge in the Canadians up next. The team hopes their newest additions can both be difference makers through the rest of their games.
  • When it was announced that American prodigy Jack Hughes would miss his team’s game against Kazakhstan yesterday, few were concerned, as the Americans won handily anyway, 8-2. However, head coach Mike Hastings has now announced that Hughes will also miss tonight’s game against another undefeated team in Sweden and that is concerning. Hastings added that Hughes is “progressing” toward getting back in the lineup, but how long the presumptive 2019 No. 1 overall pick remains out with this undisclosed injury could dictate how far the U.S. goes in the tournament.
  • Hastings also announced that Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser will be back in net tonight for the Americans after getting a rest against the underdog Kazakhstan team. With top 2019-eligible goalie Spencer Knight and impressive collegiate keeper and Montreal Canadiens draft pick Cayden Primeau also on the roster, few expected the undrafted Keyser to be the go-to goalie for the Americans. However, Keyser is in the midst of a dominant season for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and performed well in the Americans first game of the tournament, so Hastings seems content to ride Keyser’s hot hand for as long as he can.

Arizona Coyotes Trade Trevor Murphy To Anaheim Ducks

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The Arizona Coyotes have completed a minor trade, sending Trevor Murphy to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Giovanni Fiore. Both players were playing in the AHL and will likely remain in the minor leagues for the time being.

Murphy, a 23-year old defenseman, made his NHL debut last season and recorded three points in eight games for the Coyotes. Undrafted, Murphy signed out of the OHL in 2015 with the Nashville Predators and quickly became a reliable offensive threat at the minor league level. The undersized blue liner was included in a deadline day deal last season that sent him to Arizona, where he has continued to put up points in the AHL. With the Ducks also putting Jake Dotchin on waivers today, the San Diego Gulls could get a big improvement on the back end.

Fiore has even less experience under his belt, and is used to being traded. The 22-year old winger played for four different teams in the QMJHL over his junior career, before signing his entry-level contract in the spring of 2017. He made his NHL debut last season as well, but didn’t see the ice again after his first and only game. Fiore has 11 points in 23 games for the Gulls this season, and will give a little more minor league depth up front for the Tucson Roadrunners.

Murphy is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, while Fiore still has another year on that three-year entry-level contract.

Goalie Notes: Price, Bachman, Hill

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The Montreal Canadiens announced today that starting goaltender Carey Price will not travel with the team to Florida as he deals with a lower-body injury, something that immediately set off alarm bells among the fan base. Price has dealt with several lower-body issues over the last few seasons that kept him from playing up to his potential, something that certainly still hasn’t been reached this season. The 31-year old goaltender now carries a .904 save percentage on the season which, while better than last year’s totals, is simply not good enough for the Canadiens to really challenge for a top spot in the Atlantic Division.

In Price’s place, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports speculates that Michael McNiven will be recalled given Charlie Lindgren is dealing with an injury of his own. McNiven has an .884 save percentage in 12 AHL games this year, and still hasn’t made his NHL debut. That leaves Antti Niemi as the goaltender to carry the load until Price can return, whenever that may be.

  • The Vancouver Canucks have some enviable minor league goaltending depth, but Thatcher Demko may have to carry even more weight for the Utica Comets going forward. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet tweets that Richard Bachman could be out long-term with an Achilles injury, meaning Dmitri Kulbakov will be the backup tonight. Kulbakov has been bouncing between the ECHL and AHL this year, but could end up sticking with the Comets depending on what Vancouver does to address the injury.
  • Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes once again, giving them three goaltenders on the current roster. Amazingly Calvin Pickard hasn’t played in a single game for the team since being claimed a month ago, while they continue to give opportunities to the young Hill. He’s done well with those spots, but one has to wonder how long the team will continue to employ three without giving Pickard any work. He very well could find himself on waivers for the third time this season in the near future. Arizona also recalled Michael Bunting and Conor Garland, who had been sent down as a cost saving measure over the holidays.

Chayka: More Hopeful Than Realistic That Antti Raanta Returns This Season

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In an interview with 98.7 Arizona Sports (audio link), Coyotes GM John Chayka provided an update on goaltender Antti Raanta’s situation.  While the team had acknowledged there was a possibility that he could return this season, Chayka indicated that this scenario doesn’t appear to be likely now:

“It’s probably more hopeful than realistic that he’s back at some point this year. So, he’s probably going to miss the rest of the year. He had a repair done, the repair was very well done. His long-term health is probably even better than what it could be if you tried to take a shortcut. Unfortunately that means for this year you’re losing your starting goalie.”

That means that Arizona will be looking to Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill to shoulder the load (with Calvin Pickard available as well).  Neither goalie has much in the way of experience of being a starter in the NHL but Chayka stated earlier this month that the Coyotes don’t plan to look to the trade market for help between the pipes.

More from the Pacific:

  • Kings winger Ilya Kovalchuk has recovered quicker than expected and is expected to play on Saturday against San Jose, notes Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. The veteran was supposed to miss four weeks after undergoing a bursectomy on December 2nd but instead, he’ll be back after just three weeks.  Los Angeles doesn’t need to make a corresponding roster move after they sent down three players on Wednesday.  Kovalchuk got off to a good start to his season but tailed off in the weeks leading up to his procedure.
  • While the Oilers will be without defenseman Kris Russell for their next game on Saturday, the team announced (Twitter link) that there’s a good chance that he’ll be available for their first game after the holiday break. He’s dealing with an undisclosed injury and Saturday will be the fourth straight game he sits out.  Meanwhile, although Adam Larsson didn’t skate with the team on Thursday after blocking a shot with his foot last game, he is expected to suit up on the weekend.  With Edmonton already without Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera, they can ill afford to lose another of their core defenders.

Minor Transactions: 12/19/18

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Today is the final day before the holiday roster freeze comes into effect, though there can still be some movement afterwards. Teams are allowed to recall players during the next two weeks, and can also send down any player recalled after December 11th. That would include anyone called up today, meaning we’ll keep our eye on all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Luke Johnson from the minor leagues while putting Marcus Kruger on injured reserve with a concussion. Kruger suffered the injury last night when he was hit by Nashville Predators forward Ryan Hartman, and will be out indefinitely. Johnson meanwhile returns to the Blackhawks after playing 13 games with the club earlier in the season.
  • Phil Varone is on his way back to the minor leagues, loaned from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms today. Varone has played four games for Philadelphia this season but has been held scoreless in each. The veteran forward is a dominant AHL player though, and has 28 points in 22 games for the Phantoms after posting a 70-point season in 2017-18.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have sent goaltender Adin Hill and forward Conor Garland back to the minor leagues, though with no corresponding moves yet one or two could be back up quickly. Since Hill and Garland were both originally recalled before December 11th, they would not be able to be sent down during the freeze. Now they will be able to freely move up and down throughout, allowing them to get into game action should Arizona activate some of their injured players.
  • The same tact might be taking place in Los Angeles, where Michael Amadio, Sean Walker and Austin Wagner have all been sent down to the AHL. Again, all three players had been recalled prior to December 11th, meaning this move is likely only to create some roster flexibility through the roster freeze.
  • In Vegas however, the Golden Knights have recalled Brandon Pirri and had him at practice today with the club. Pirri has been dominating the minor leagues once again, and with Max Pacioretty headed to the injured reserve, the team needed another forward. The 27-year old Pirri once scored 22 goals in just 49 games for the Florida Panthers, but has struggled to find consistent work in the NHL since. This year for the Chicago Wolves, he has 41 points in 28 games and has looked far too capable for the AHL.
  • Thomas Hickey has been moved to injured reserve, giving the New York Islanders roster room to recall Devon Toews. The 24-year old Toews has yet to make his NHL debut but is a leader for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers all over the ice. The defenseman has 86 points through 130 minor league games since being a fourth-round pick in 2014, and could give the Islanders a decent puck-moving presence going forward.
  • Another Los Angeles Kings player is on his way down, but this time it’s for a conditioning stint. Jack Campbell has been sent to the minor leagues to continue his rehab, an important step on his recovery process from a meniscus injury earlier this year. Campbell is still on injured reserve for the time being.
  • Clark Bishop is on his way back to the NHL, as the Charlotte Checkers announced that the rookie forward has been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes. Bishop, 22, was a fifth-round pick and was never much of an offensive force in his junior years. The two-way center even split his first pro season between the AHL and ECHL. However, Bishop has worked hard and is now a regular call-up for Carolina in his third season. Bishop has two points in 15 games for the ’Canes this year.

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