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Arizona Coyotes Send Down Justin Kirkland

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1/26: The Arizona Coyotes have reversed Justin Kirkland’s assignment to Tuscon, recalling the forward on an emergency basis.

1/25: A few days ago, reporting suggested that the New York Rangers had no clear timeline for the return of Filip Chytil, who has been out of the lineup with an upper-body injury since November 2nd. In a positive development this afternoon, it was reported that Chytil has resumed skating, and was back on the ice today for practice albeit in a non-contact jersey (X Link).

With Jonny Brodzinski the current center on the team’s third-line, seeing the return of Chytil to the active roster would almost certainly improve the team’s center depth for their stretch run into the playoffs. Having only played 10 of the team’s 47 games, Chytil has tallied a total of six assists on the year with no goals.

Just now returning to the ice, it will likely be a few more weeks until Chytil is ready to return, but at the very least it is now on the team’s horizon. As one of the more dominant teams in the league at the beginning of the season, the Rangers are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, averaging 2.6 goals a game; showing a clear need for an offensive jolt.

Other snapshots:

  • Having been recalled a few days ago on January 19th, the Seattle Kraken have returned forward John Hayden to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, per a team announcement. Over the callup, Hayden went scoreless in two games for Seattle, and will now return to a Firebirds team where he has four goals and 10 points in 33 games. In a similar role this season within the Kraken organization, with a relatively clean bill of health down the middle of the ice this year, Seattle has not needed to utilize Hayden down the middle of the ice in the bottom of the lineup.
  • Continuing his call-up carousel, the Arizona Coyotes reassigned forward Justin Kirkland to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, to create a roster spot for newly claimed forward Adam Ruzicka. Now having been recalled on four separate occasions, Kirkland has managed only two games in Arizona, going scoreless in both contests. Conversely, at the AHL level, Kirkland is in the midst of a highly productive season, scoring two goals and 16 points in 18 games for the Roadrunners.

Arizona Coyotes Claim Adam Ružička Off Waivers From Calgary

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The Arizona Coyotes have claimed Calgary Flames forward Adam Ružička off of waivers. Ružička has appeared in 39 of Calgary’s 47 games this season, netting three goals and nine points. He’s also recorded six penalty minutes and a -8.

Ružička has slowly established his place in the NHL over the last four seasons, making his debut with the Flames in 2020-21. He’s since totaled 114 career NHL games and 40 career points, adding 26 penalty minutes. He is one of seven players from the 2017 NHL Draft’s fourth round to play in at least 100 NHL games, alongside players like Ottawa’s Drake Batherson and Buffalo’s Jacob Bryson. Ružička has also appeared in 98 AHL games across three seasons, totaling 68 points.

Ružička provides much-needed center depth to a Coyotes team that currently has Barrett Hayton and Travis Boyd on injured reserve. The team has turned towards Dylan Guenther in light of their injuries, with the 20-year-old winger managing six points in nine games this season. Guenther also leads the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in scoring with 28 points in 29 games – despite the team playing in nine more games since the winger’s call-up.

Now without Ružička, the Flames will need to turn towards one of Cole Schwindt, Adam Klapka, or Walker Duehr to takeover the open bottom-line role. Schwindt and Klapka have only played in one and two games respectively, while Duehr has seen 19 appearances and scored four points. Calgary also has Matthew Coronato currently in the NHL lineup. The former first-round pick is 13 games into his rookie NHL season, boasting just two points, four penalty minutes, and a -9.

Coyotes’ Matt Dumba Out Week-To-Week

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Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, per the team. The 29-year-old did not play the second and third periods of Monday’s 5-2 win over the Penguins, although it’s unclear when he sustained the injury during the first period. He did not accompany the team on their three-game road trip through the southeastern United States, and he will remain out through the All-Star break at the least, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan.

It’s not all bad news on the injury front for Arizona. Per Morgan, forward Nick Schmaltz will return tonight against the Panthers after missing three games with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old had points in six of his last eight games before exiting the lineup.

This is another dent in what’s been a trying season for Dumba in the desert. The 600-game veteran is still shouldering significant ice time, logging just over 20 minutes per game, but has just two goals and five points in 44 contests while posting some of the worst possession numbers on the team. He’s with Arizona by way of a one-year, $3.9MM contract signed in free agency last August.

While he won’t draw in tonight, per Morgan, the open spot in the lineup should provide some opportunity for 2019 11th-overall pick Victor Söderström. The 22-year-old Swede hasn’t appeared in an NHL game yet this season but has taken strides forward with AHL Tucson, leading their defensemen with 13 assists and 21 points in 38 games. The team recalled him this week in the wake of a long-term injury to another depth defenseman, Troy Stecher.

The Coyotes have kept pace in the Western Conference playoff race, sitting slimly ahead of the Predators for the second Wild Card spot by points percentage after their win over Pittsburgh earlier in the week.

Arizona Coyotes Recall Victor Soderstrom

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The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Victor Soderstrom from the minor leagues. This move comes in response to a lower-body injury to Troy Stecher that’s expected to hold the defender out for four-to-six weeks.

Soderstrom has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, leading the team’s defensemen in scoring with 21 points in 38 games – a mark that also ranks fourth on the team as a whole. He also scored 21 AHL points through 44 games last season, adding nine points in 30 NHL games. His stint with the Coyotes last season brought his career total up to 50 NHL games and 11 career points. He is one of 11 players from the 2019 NHL Draft’s First Round to play in 50 or fewer career NHL games, though Soderstrom and Los Angeles Kings prospect Alex Turcotte are the only in the top 15 in that category.

Soderstrom’s recall brings much-needed depth to a Coyotes lineup currently facing injuries to six different lineup players. This includes Stecher and Matt Dumba, with the latter dealing with an undisclosed ailment and an undisclosed timeline. The Coyotes have had to turn to Michael Kesselring and Josh Brown to fill-out the blueline. Kesselring is playing out his rookie NHL season, boasting 11 points in 28 games, while Brown has quietly become a long-running veteran of the top league, with four points in 25 games this year bringing his career totals to 28 points in 264 games.

Coyotes Troy Stecher Out Four-To-Six Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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The Arizona Coyotes have announced that defenseman Troy Stecher is out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. Stecher has appeared in 42 of Arizona’s 44 games this season. He’s recorded five points, 20 penalty minutes, and a +7.

Stecher is in his second stint with the Arizona Coyotes, starting last season with the team but getting traded to the Calgary Flames ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. He re-signed in Arizona on July 1st, inking a one-year, $1.1MM contract. The Coyotes are one of five NHL teams that Stecher has played for, with his career headlined by four seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. Stecher has accumulated 482 career NHL games and 108 career points – an impressive mark for the undrafted defender who didn’t sign his first pro contract until his age-22 season – joining the AHL’s Utica Comets for four games in the 2016-17 season.

The Coyotes’ depth will be tested with Stecher set to miss significant time. The team is already facing injuries to Barrett Hayton, Travis Boyd, and Vladislav Kolyachonok – limiting their ability to ice an ideal lineup. The Yotes will have to turn to Juuso Valimaki, who has operated as the team’s seventh defenseman recently and has six points in 30 appearances this season. This injury likely also means an expanded role for Josh Brown and Michael Kesselring – a duo that’s operated as the team’s bottom pairing in recent outings.

Coyotes Recall Justin Kirkland On Emergency Basis

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The Coyotes have made a move to add some more forward depth before their game on Monday against Pittsburgh, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Justin Kirkland from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis.

This is the fourth recall of the last month for the 27-year-old but his playing time over the first three was limited to just two appearances where he averaged just 7:14 per game.  Kirkland has done well in limited action with the Roadrunners, however, collecting 16 points in 18 games; he’s nearly up to his AHL point total from last season already in 14 fewer appearances.

Arizona currently has just 12 forwards on its active roster and one of those – Nick Schmaltz – has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.  Head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters today including Remy Mastey of The Hockey News that he doesn’t expect that Schmaltz will be available to play against the Penguins.  The Coyotes have dressed seven blueliners since then but with Kirkland’s presence on the roster, they’ll now have the option to go with the typical twelve-forward alignment.

Coyotes Liam O’Brien Fined For Roughing

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced last night that Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien would be fined $2,018.23 for roughing Vancouver Canucks forward Sam Lafferty on January 18th. The amount is the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the money from it will be put towards the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

O’Brien was given a minor penalty for roughing on the play, which occurred at the 5:26 mark of the first period. O’Brien left Arizona’s bench and immediately went after Lafferty after the Canucks forward had laid a big hit earlier in the game. O’Brien threw off his gloves and began punching Lafferty, who did not offer a response. The referees pulled O’Brien away and restrained him before escorting him to the penalty box.

The situation did not cool down after that as O’Brien fought Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov later on in the first period which earned him another five penalty minutes. O’Brien is now the NHL leader in penalty minutes with 105 PIM in 43 games which nearly eclipses the 114 minutes he accumulated last season in 56 games with Arizona.

The 29-year-old has spent parts of seven NHL seasons with the Coyotes, Washington Capitals, and Colorado Avalanche and set career highs last season in games played with 56, goals with three, and assists with eight. He has not faced discipline before from the DOPS.

Arizona Coyotes Reassign Justin Kirkland

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The Arizona Coyotes have reassigned forward Justin Kirkland to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

The move comes just as forward Jason Zucker’s suspension is set to expire. Kirkland made his Coyotes debut on January 7th, and played a total of two games on this most recent call-up. He averaged around seven minutes of ice time per game, registering one shot on goal, a shot block, and five hits.

The 27-year-old pivot is a former 25-goal scorer in the AHL who made his NHL debut last season with the Anaheim Ducks. He’s scored 13 points in just 12 games in Tucson so far this season, and now returned there he will likely resume his top-end offensive role with the club.

While he’s back in the AHL for the foreseeable future, it’s not out of question that Kirkland receives another NHL recall. He brings size, versatility, and has shown he can score at the AHL level. Continuing his solid AHL production from the start of this season will be a top priority for him moving forward if he wants to get another shot at a call-up to the NHL roster.

Anson Thornton's OHL Rights Moved To Niagara

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The CHL Trade Deadline is set to hit on Wednesday and there have been several big moves made already that have involved NHL prospects.  Several more have happened today; here’s a rundown of those moves.

  • Kraken prospect Eduard Sale has been acquired by OHL Kitchener along with blueliner Olivier Savard in exchange for forward Kyle Morey, defenseman Blair Scott, and eight draft picks, reports Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek (Twitter link). Sale was the 23rd pick back in June and is in his first season in North America where he has struggled a bit, notching just 20 points in 25 games with the Colts.  He was more of a factor for Czechia at the World Juniors, picking up seven points in as many contests.
  • A Senators blueliner is on the move as Windsor picked up Djibril Toure from Sudbury for a pair of draft picks. The 20-year-old signed with Ottawa as an undrafted free agent back in September.  Toure, who stands 6’7, has been a shutdown defenseman at the OHL level but still has 12 points in 24 appearances this season.
  • While Brantford was selling with yesterday’s Jorian Donovan trade, they also added to their roster, acquiring Canadiens blueline prospect Danill Sobolev for forward Masen Wray and defenseman Callum Cheynowski. Sobolev was a fifth-round pick by Montreal in 2021 (142nd overall) and has been a shutdown defender in his three junior seasons.  He’ll be too old for junior hockey next season and it remains to be seen if Montreal will look to find a place for him in their system.
  • Coyotes goaltender Anson Thornton’s junior rights have been moved from OHL Barrie to Niagara for a conditional draft choice. The 20-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent with Arizona 2021 but has missed most of the year with an injury, being limited to just four appearances with AHL Tucson where he has a save percentage of just .849.

Justin Kirkland Recalled, Anson Thornton Assigned To OHL Barrie

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Even with a handful of teams believed to be looking for goalie help, the market for Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek isn’t likely to be too strong.  As a result, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic feels (subscription link) it might be more likely that Chicago winds up extending the netminder over dealing him for what’s likely to be a limited return.  The 31-year-old has put up a .903 SV% in 25 games this season, a very respectable number on a team that’s in a battle for the bottom of the standings once again.  He currently carries a cap hit of $3.8MM and while it’s unlikely an extension would come in at that amount, keeping him around on a short-term extension to allow Drew Commesso to have a bit more time to develop with AHL Rockford would make some sense, especially if the trade market isn’t likely to yield much in return.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • After a rough start with his new team, Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin has settled in nicely and is in the middle of a strong stretch where he has 17 points in his last 22 games. To that end, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now evaluates the feasibility of trying to sign the 28-year-old to a contract extension.  Drouin is playing on a deal worth $825K this season, opting for a short-term agreement in the hopes of establishing a better market next summer.  His performance is worth a fair bit more than that but with Colorado’s cap situation, they’ll still be capped at a lower-cost offer.  That said, if Drouin wants some stability and to stay in a good situation, he could be amenable to the possibility of re-signing now.
  • The shuffling of Justin Kirkland continues. After being sent back down yesterday, the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that the winger has been recalled from AHL Tucson.  It’s his third recall in the last two weeks although he has yet to make an appearance yet with Arizona.  Meanwhile, the 27-year-old has been productive with the Roadrunners, recording 13 points in 12 games so far.
  • Still with Arizona, while not yet announced by the Coyotes, the team has loaned goaltender Anson Thornton back to OHL Barrie, notes Colts color commentator Gene Pereira. The 20-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent with Arizona back in 2021 but has been injured for most of the season, being limited to just four appearances with Tucson where he has a save percentage of just .849.  With the CHL trade deadline coming next week, he may find himself on the move at that level in the coming days.

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