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Minor Transactions: 11/23/17

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Even though there aren’t any games today in the National Hockey League, the movement up and down from the minor leagues never stops. We’ll keep track of all the day’s transactions right here.

  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Ryan Stanton to the AHL, after just a single day with the club. Stanton was up with the team but didn’t dress for last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, as he waits to make his Edmonton debut. The veteran of 120 NHL games cleared waivers at the beginning of the month, so can be sent up and down for the time being without needing them again.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have called up goaltender Marek Langhamer on an emergency basis, after starter Antti Raanta was forced from last night’s game with an upper-body injury. Langhamer has one NHL appearance under his belt, but has played well in limited action for AHL Tucson this year. Scott Wedgewood is expected to start in Raanta’s absence.
  • Another day, another transaction for Julius Honka, who has been recalled once again by the Dallas Stars. The promising young defenseman was sent down just yesterday by the team when they needed some help up front in case of injury. Curtis McKenzie and Mike McKenna have both been sent to the AHL in a corresponding move.
  • Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, potentially giving the 21-year old another shot at the NHL. Blais made his debut for the club earlier in the season, recording his first NHL point just over a month ago. The sixth-round pick has flourished offensively since the Blues drafted him in 2014, and has 13 points in 11 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season in the AHL.

Trade Rumors: Coyotes, Canadiens, Jets, Islanders

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In all likelihood, the recent three-way trade that sent Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators and Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators will be the biggest deal made this season. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the whispers of an bustling trade market, especially this early in the season. At the quarter pole of the 2017-18 campaign, it’s been an unpredictable season, prompting an unexpectedly active market. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch has had his ear to the ground and has plenty of input on who the buyers and sellers are right now:

  • To no one’s surprise, Garrioch states that the floundering Arizona Coyotes are “willing to talk about pretty much every player on their roster”. That of course doesn’t include Calder-hopeful Clayton Keller or many of their other 21-and-under starters, but the rest of the roster may as well be up for grabs. The big off-season acquisitions of Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Jason Demers have done nothing to change this team’s ability to win hockey games. At some point, GM John Chayka is going to go from “up-and-coming” to “up-and-went” and that pressure could force him to make some major moves as he rethinks his rebuild. While impending UFA’s like Raanta, Brad Richardson, and Luke Schenn would be the easiest pieces to move, the stakes are high for a Coyotes team whose core has done next to nothing for years and key pieces like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Tobias Rieder could soon be on their way out.
  • Perhaps the only team more disappointing than Arizona in 2017-18 is the farthest team from them across North America: the Montreal Canadiens. Under new head coach Claude Julien, the Habs have fallen apart. However, the newly-signed coach isn’t going anywhere, putting GM Marc Bergevin, who Garrioch calls ” the NHL’s most active GM”, on the hot seat. Bergevin may be willing to make a big move to save his job, and of course the first name that comes to mind is young forward Alex Galchenyuk, who has predictably struggled under the defense-first Julien. Galchenyuk seems lost in Montreal, without an identifiable position, role, or spot in the lineup, and could use a change of scenery. However, he is not wholly to blame for the Canadiens’ struggles. Tomas Plekanec has long been on the block and if the team truly commits to a rebuild, big names like Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber, and (if anyone is willing to take on his monstrous new contract) even Carey Price could soon join the list.
  • Garrioch mentions both the Winnipeg Jets and New York Islanders as possible sellers, but given the surprising success of both clubs thus far, neither is likely rushing to trade pieces away unless they can make their teams better this season. Impending Jets UFA’s Shawn Matthias and Matt Hendricks may draw interest, but if Winnipeg is in playoff position come deadline time, they would want veteran depth for themselves. It seems more likely that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could use his overflow of young forwards like Marko Dano, Joel Armia, Andrew Copp, Adam Lowry, or Brandon Tanev as trade bait to bring in another top-six forward for a team that doesn’t shoot the puck nearly enough. As for the Islanders, Garrioch singles out first-time UFA Calvin de Haan as the player to watch. Yet, de Haan is one of, if not the best shot-blocker in the NHL, can play major minutes, and is reliable in both ends. If the Isles can resign him, wouldn’t they? Obviously, John Tavares is the main focus and the team thinks highly of younger options like Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, but the loss of a player like de Haan, especially with Travis Hamonic now in Calgary, could cripple a playoff-bound Islanders squad. Odds are de Haan sticks around, at least as long as New York remains playoff-bound.
  • So who’s looking? Garrioch mentions the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins as suitors for forward help, with the Dallas Stars potentially looking to make another big blue line trade to turn their season around. With that many buyers and several disappointed sellers, the trade NHL trade market may not wait until 2018 to heat up.

Morning Notes: McDonagh, Ekman-Larsson, Kane

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The New York Rangers haven’t encountered this type of season often before, if ever. The team seems to be a bubble team with no true chance of making a deep playoff run or even winning a Stanley Cup. Yet, the team also finds itself with a handful of expiring contracts who could be utilized as key trade chips to refuel their retooling process.

New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes the Rangers need to think about dealing players like Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and Nick Holden and get what they can for them. The scribe believes that general manager Jeff Gorton will have one of the biggest challenges in front of him in a long time as he will have to make a decision on which direction the team should go. Could Nash bring back a first-rounder in next year’s draft and if they can, would it be worth his value anyway? What can they get for Grabner? Should the team go full in and start shopping captain Ryan McDonagh now?

The latter claim, Brooks writes, might make the most sense. The Rangers should be able to bring in a huge haul for McDonagh, who is still in his prime, is locked up until 2019 and is one of the top defensemen in the league. As there are quite a few playoff teams in need of defense, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers could truly change the way the franchise is heading at the trade deadline.

New York wouldn’t be better off without McDonagh, but with long-term deals already having been handed out to Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith and the young talent the team has on defense in Brady Skjei, Neal Pionk and Anthony DeAngelo, the team should be able to survive without him if they can get a talented scorer in his place.

  • Hidden among yesterday’s stories was TSN’s Bob McKenzie refuting rumors that the Arizona Coyotes are thinking about dealing defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the Toronto Maple Leafs for William Nylander. McKenzie writes that as of Sunday, there had not been one conversation between the two teams about Ekman-Larsson. He also points out that since most teams do not view Nylander as a center, he wouldn’t bring enough of a return for Ekman-Larsson as just a sniper. However, from what McKenzie can see, the Coyotes are not willing to discuss moving Ekman-Larsson as of now. The Atheltic’s Sean Tierney tweeted today that with general manager John Chayka in charge, it’s hard to see the team trading Ekman-Larsson at all.
  • John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes that frustration is hitting in Buffalo as the 5-12-1 Sabres continue to struggle, yet one player is thriving in Evander Kane. Dating back to last year, the 26-year-old wing has scored 40 goals in his last 79 games. He also has 11 points in the last 11 games. Kane added his 12th goal of the season Monday in the team’s 3-2 loss to Columbus. The secret to his success? Shooting the puck. He leads the team with 96 shots on goal this year.

Minor Transactions: 11/20/17

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With just six games on a Monday and a couple of suspensions last night, many teams may look to make minor changes to their roster for the coming week. Keep up with those moves right here:

  • The Vancouver Canucks announced they have recalled defenseman Philip Holm from the Utica Comets and reassigned Patrick Wiercioch in a corresponding move. Holm will be recalled for first time as the undrafted free agent signed a one-year deal with Vancouver this summer. At 25 years of age and coming over from Sweden, he needed time to adjust to the North American hockey, but appears to be ready. He has played 15 games for Utica, leading all Comet defensemen in scoring as he has put up two goals and eight assists on the year. Wiercioch, who had been shuttled up and down for most of the season has been up with the team since Oct. 23, but has been serving as an emergency defenseman and hasn’t seen any action yet this year. He has only played two games for the Comets this season.
  • The Nashville Predators announced they have recalled forward Pontus Aberg and goaltender Juuse Saros as well as Frederick Gaudreau from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The team also reassigned Anders Lindback to Milwaukee. Aberg had been serving in Milwaukee on a conditioning stint since Nov. 11. The 24-year-old had cracked the team’s lineup last year  after putting up a 30-goal season in Milwaukee. He then proceeded to play in 16 playoff games for Nashville, but had trouble finding playing time this year as he had only played in nine games to start the year and was often a healthy scratch. In four games for the Admirals, he had four goals and two assists. Saros, the team’s backup behind starter Pekka Rinne, has struggled in his time with the Predators. In four games, he has posted a 3.94 GAA and a .855 save percentage. He was sent down to start for Milwaukee to get in some playing time. Although he took the loss in Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Monsters, he only allowed two goals in the game, stopping 20 shots. Lindback returns to Milwaukee after serving as an emergency backup for the team on Saturday.
  • Arizona Sports reported that the Arizona Coyotes have assigned defenseman Dakota Mermis to the AHL Tucson Roadrunners. The 23-year-old blueliner has played seven games for Arizona with the team’s rash of defensive injuries from Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jakob Chychrun. Hjalmarsson is expected to return to the lineup tonight.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled goaltender Mike McKenna from the AHL Texas Stars Monday as backup Kari Lehtonen is unavailable due to personal reasons, according to the team. The 34-year-old McKenna has been a journeyman in the AHL and last got into an NHL game with the Arizona Coyotes back in the 2014-15 season and has played in 22 NHL games in his career. In 12 games with Texas, he has a 3.51 GAA. The Stars also announced they have recalled defenseman Julius Honka from Texas. The 2014 first-round pick has been unable to carve out a full-time role with Dallas as he struggled to earn playing time at the start of the year. He was sent down on Oct. 31 after playing six games, putting up no points. He played eight games with the Texas Stars, but also failed to produce a point.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/17

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There are only five games on tap today, but teams may use their time to make some roster adjustments in preparation of a new week of play. Keep up with everything right here:

  • Winnipeg Jets insider Jamie Thomas tweets that the Jets will recall defenseman Tucker Poolman to replace defenseman Toby Enstrom, who will reportedly miss eight weeks due to a lower-body injury. Poolman has been up with the team before and has played three games for Winnipeg. He had played seven games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, picking up an assist. The 24-year-old blueliner signed with the club earlier this year after playing three years with the University of North Dakota.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have sent Wade Megan to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Megan was recalled Friday by the Blues for Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, but was a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old center has played in just one game for the Blues, but has played 10 games with the Wolves and has three assists in that span.
  • According to Ducks beat writer Eric Stephens, Anaheim has returned rookie Kalle Kossila to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. After making his NHL debut with one game in 2016-17, the French-Finnish forward has already skated in seven games for the Ducks this season and has performed well. A four-year product of St. Cloud State, Kossila was a major scoring threat for the Gulls last year and has shown flashes for the Ducks, with a goal and an assist already. Undersized, but strong on the puck, Kossila is likely to get another shot at the NHL soon enough.
  • The Florida Panthers have announced that Curtis Valk is headed back to the AHL, as they have loaned him to their affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Valk made his NHL debut on Tuesday, albeit he played only 3:25 and contributed only three face-off losses, but in doing so reached a level that likely seemed impossible at a time. Despite a solid junior career in the WHL, Valk spent almost all of his first two pro seasons in the ECHL, a rare way for a future NHLer to start out. It was only after a breakout AHL campaign with the Utica Comets last season that he drew any big league attention, signing a one-year deal with Florida on July 1st. Valk is small, but has a scoring touch that should keep him in the AHL for a while and could afford him some more looks at the highest level.
  • Arizona Coyotes promising defender Dakota Mermis is on his way back to the AHL, the team announced. Mermis has played in seven games for the ’Yotes thus far, but can get some more work in with the Tuscon Roadrunners, especially with the likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jakob Chychrun soon returning from injury. However, Mermis has looked good in his limited exposure and will continue to be the next man up on the Arizona blue line.
  • Following the first two games of his NHL career, Andrew Crescenzi has been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, their parent club, the L.A. Kings, announced. The 6’5″ forward debuted on Tuesday vs. the Vancouver Canucks and skated again on Thursday against the Boston Bruins, but failed to make much of an impact in limited ice time. He’ll head back to the minors for some more seasoning.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Arizona Coyotes

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for this year. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. 

What are the Arizona Coyotes most thankful for?

An impressive 2018 draft class.

The Coyotes have just seven points through 20 games, and have yet to win in regulation. Even with a rebuilt blue line that includes newcomers Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jason Demers, the team has allowed an incredible, league-leading 79 goals against this season. They’re now 17 points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division, and would need an absolute miracle to claw their way back into the playoff race.

Luckily, the 2018 draft class is shaping up to be a good one. Finishing last in the league obviously doesn’t guarantee you the first-overall pick (just ask Colorado) but it does get you into the top four. Though Rasmus Dahlin looks like a franchise-altering presence at the top, there are four or five other elite prospects with superstar potential. After trading away the seventh-overall pick this summer, it seemed like the Coyotes were done waiting on prospects. Now they might need to hitch their wagon to a new one.

"<strongWho are the Coyotes most thankful for? 

Clayton Keller.

The Coyotes have seen their fair share of busts over the years, but their 2016 draft looks like a good one. Jakob Chychrun has been injured all season, but made the jump to the NHL right away last year and kept his head above water. He’s expected back at some point, and will likely take on an important role on the blueline once again. But it’s Keller that is really turning heads around the league.

The seventh-overall pick from 2016 has 17 points in 20 games this season including 11 goals. That number puts him fifth in the league, and in front of the pack in terms of Calder Trophy voting (though it is anything but decided yet). His development into an All-Star talent is something every Coyotes fan can cheer about, even in what has become another dreadful season.

What would the Coyotes be even more thankful for? 

A win (or two).

It’s not that the Coyotes needed to compete for the Stanley Cup this year, but after all the trading this offseason they were at least expected to improve. Last year’s club finished 30-42-10 even with Radim Vrbata as their most dangerous forward and a sale at the deadline of Michael Stone and Martin Hanzal. That club was still one of the worst in the league, but not a disaster on a nightly basis.

Hjalmarsson, Demers, Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta all cost the team young or future assets (not to mention money), and were supposed to push the team towards a playoff spot. That hasn’t happened and now they’re left scratching their heads wondering which direction to go in.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson remains the biggest target of trade speculation, as his current contract ends after next season. But who would rule out any of the veterans on this team at this point? If the season isn’t turned around quickly, the seat will get warmer and warmer for young GM John Chayka and the pressure to make a move will increase. They shouldn’t be as bad as they are, but who would fault him for planting a “For Sale” sign outside the arena near the deadline once again?

What should be on the Coyotes’ Holiday Wish List? 

Needy GMs.

There’s nothing to add to the roster to make it a playoff contender at this point. One or two additions wouldn’t fix what’s ailing the Coyotes, and the front office must know it. Making more short-term moves wouldn’t help the team, so instead they’ll be wishing for a desperate contender near the deadline.

Last year, they moved a pending UFA in Hanzal for a first and second-round pick from Minnesota in a deal that the Wild regretted just a few months later. That sort of desperation is exactly what the team will hope for again this season, to try to squeeze some value out of a team in the middle of an arms race. Remember that Raanta is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, and carries just a $1MM cap hit this season.

It’s a tough thing to hope for this early in the year, but there’s not a lot more on their wish list at the moment. Chayka will be patient as their schedule eases a bit as we head into the winter, but in the desert no seats ever get truly cold.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Louis Domingue

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired recently demoted goaltender Louis Domingue from the Arizona Coyotes, sending Michael Leighton and Tye McGinn to the desert in return. Domingue’s role as the backup had been usurped by Scott Wedgewood, and he’ll now have to find his game somewhere else.

Louis DomingueOf course that likely won’t be in Tampa Bay, at least not right away. The Lightning have Andrei Vasilevskiy and Peter Budaj locked in as their NHL duo for the time being, while Leighton had been starting for the Syracuse Crunch. Still, it could be just the fresh start Domingue needs to get his game back on track. At one point in the past, Domingue was an up-and-coming goaltender that looked poised to take on at least a part-time role in the NHL. He posted acceptable numbers over the last two years behind a bad Coyotes team, but saw his play fall off this year.

Interestingly like Dominuge, Leighton doesn’t have a clear place to play in the Coyotes organization. The Tucson Roadrunners, Arizona’s AHL affiliate, already have three goaltenders on the roster in Hunter Miska, Adin Hill and Marek Langhamer. Perhaps the 36-year old Leighton will be loaned somewhere else.

The only forward in the deal is McGinn, who hasn’t seen the NHL since 2015-16. Though he’s an effective minor league player, his NHL career has been less than impressive. In 89 career games he has 17 points, but has little upside at the age of 27. Still, he could find his way into the Coyotes lineup at some point if they continue to struggle this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Price, Soshnikov, GMs

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Carey Price says he would be in the lineup if tonight’s Montreal Canadiens game was a playoff contest. Price hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in warm-up before the Canadiens’ November 2nd game, and doesn’t have a clear timeline yet.

Skating by himself once again, he’ll need to rejoin the team in practice before suiting up for a game. That slow process is being helped by the play of Charlie Lindgren, who now carries a .964 save percentage through his four starts. The 23-year old Lindgren looks ready to take on at least a backup role in the NHL, which will complicate things with Al Montoya when all three goaltenders are back to full health. Montoya is under contract through next season, but has played poorly in his small sample this year.

  • Nikita Soshnikov was called up to the Maple Leafs earlier today because of his KHL clause that would have allowed him to return to Russia, but Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the team isn’t out of the woods in that respect just yet. The clause allows Soshnikov to request a loan to the KHL at any future point this season if they try to send him back down. That, along with the fact that he’ll become waiver-eligible after playing in three games, complicates things for the Maple Leafs. While Soshnikov has done little offensively in his 67 NHL games (14 points), he is off to a fast start in the AHL this season at nearly a point-per-game pace.
  • Sean McIndoe of Sportsnet breaks down the current GMs that are feeling the heat, listing four among the “Smoke, sparks and fire alarms” group. One of those members, John Chayka of the Arizona Coyotes wouldn’t have been considered in trouble a year ago when the team was going through a slow rebuild. That was accelerated this summer when they made some supposed win-now moves like bringing in Derek Stepan and Niklas Hjalmarsson, but it hasn’t paid off at all. The Coyotes have still yet to win a game in regulation, and look even further away from contention than they did before giving up the seventh-overall pick this summer.

Snapshots: Flames, Hammond, Ekman-Larsson

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Tanner Glass has cleared waivers and been assigned to Stockton of the AHL, leaving room for the Calgary Flames to activate Jaromir Jagr prior to their game tonight. Glass signed a one-year, one-way deal with the Flames this summer but is at best a 13th forward used in especially physical matchups. It won’t surprise if the 33-year old is back up before long to serve in that role.

Jagr though will jump back into the lineup after a long layoff, and will look to recapture the early success he had found with his new team. The legendary winger’s already exquisite possession numbers were off the charts in his first five games for Calgary, and he should help the team continue their current win streak. Jagr is just 51 games behind Gordie Howe for the most all-time, a record he could break should he stay relatively healthy for the rest of the year.

  • Andrew Hammond was clearly a salary dump by the Ottawa Senators in their recent trade, to help even out the salary difference between Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris. Now, James Gordon of The Athletic reports that Colorado will look to flip Hammond somewhere else around the league. Hammond will remain with the Belleville Senators on loan until that happens, but it may not be so easy. “The Hamburgler” as he is so affectionately nicknamed, is owed $1.5MM this season and carries a $1.35MM cap hit. Though last year was a struggle for him before going down to injury, he’s played well early on for Belleville.
  • Oliver Ekman-Larsson has somehow become the center of much trade speculation, but Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka wants to put an end to that. Speaking with Craig Morgan of AZ Sports, Chayka again said he won’t trade the All-Star defenseman, and revealed “I haven’t had a single conversation about Oilver that has lasted more than five seconds.” Ekman-Larsson is a free agent after next season and would be one of the top names on the market.

Snapshots: Raanta, Golden Knights, Maple Leafs

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Antti Raanta has been activated off injured reserve and is expected to start tonight against the Buffalo Sabres according to Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Raanta hasn’t played in three weeks with a lower-body injury after being acquired this summer to be the Coyotes starting goaltender. He’ll head to the crease with a new backup in Scott Wedgewood, a tandem that could prove capable for Arizona as they try to climb out of the bottom of the standings.

The team unfortunately will not have Niklas Hjalmarsson on the ice however, meaning Dakota Mermis will make his NHL debut on the blueline. The Coyotes are currently last in the league with just one win in their first 13 games, and right now look like the odds-on favorite for the first-overall pick next June.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights will not trade for another goaltender, according to general manager George McPhee. The front office boss told Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the Golden Knights will “ride it out with who we have.” Currently who they have is Maxime Lagace and 19-year old Dylan Ferguson, the last two goaltenders in the entire organization on NHL contracts. The team has given up six goals in back to back games, and still have four games remaining on their current road trip. Riding it out is likely the best move long-term for the organization, but it won’t feel good for Vegas fans who were on cloud nine after the team’s early season success. That excellent record could evaporate if they can’t find some stability in net soon.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs are clearly not settled with the fringes of their lineup, as even after a win last night in Anaheim head coach Mike Babcock intends on shaking things up. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Kasperi Kapanen and Roman Polak will draw back into the lineup in place of Josh Leivo and Connor Carrick for tonight’s matchup with Los Angeles. That uncertainty will be an interesting one to follow as the Maple Leafs’ season continues. For a team that is expected to compete not only for a playoff spot, but for a considerable seeding in the postseason, they have several unresolved issues with their lineup. James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov are all unrestricted free agents, and remain possible mid-season trade candidates. If they are moved, the rotating bottom-pairing on the Toronto blueline is likely the target of upgrade.

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