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Minor Moves: Corrado, Heinen, Mitchell

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Justin Schultz on injured reserve, and recalled Frank Corrado from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in his stead. Schultz suffered a concussion on Tuesday night, and is out indefinitely while he works his way through the league protocol.

Corrado, 24, was acquired by the Penguins last year from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a salary dump of sorts. The Maple Leafs took on Eric Fehr’s $2MM/year contract, after he had cleared waivers with the Penguins. Fehr cleared waivers again yesterday for the Maple Leafs, and could be sent to the minor leagues today. Corrado played just two games down the stretch last season, and has been stuck in the minors to being this year. The defenseman has two points in six games.

  • The Boston Bruins have brought Danton Heinen back from the minor leagues ahead of their matchup with the San Jose Sharks tonight, rewarding the young playmaker for his excellent early play. Heinen has eight points in four games for the Providence Bruins, including seven assists. That isn’t just a minor league trend, as prior to his assignment he recorded three points in three games for Boston as well. The 22-year old fourth-round pick is showing considerable upside and could get into the lineup on a more full-time basis going forward.
  • The Minnesota Wild have also continued to bounce players up and down, today recalling Zack Mitchell from the AHL. Mitchell had previously been up with the team for three games, where he registered one point while playing fewer than ten minutes per night. The undrafted forward has been a big part of the Iowa Wild for several years, and filled in for Minnesota last year as well. Likely not much more than a 13th forward, this likely isn’t the last transaction to include Mitchell this year. He will eventually need to clear waivers again as he cleared on September 28th, just before the season began.
  • The Joshua Ho-Sang move from yesterday was indeed a prelude to Alan Quine’s activation, as the team has moved him from season-opening injured reserve to a conditioning stint. While Quine will have to play a couple of games in the minor leagues, he still counts towards their 23-man roster for the time being.

Morning Moves: Kloos, Petan, Cracknell

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The Minnesota Wild have sent Justin Kloos back to the minor leagues after getting Mikael Granlund back last night. Kloos also played in the game but received fewer than nine minutes of ice time. The 23-year old forward will certainly get another chance eventually at the NHL level, after excelling at the University of Minnesota.

Kloos is a homegrown talent, born in Lakeville, Minnesota and developed in the state high school ranks before heading to Iowa and the USHL. Undrafted, he would eventually find his way back to star as a Golden Gopher, even captaining the UMN team in his final two years. Kloos signed a two-year entry-level deal this spring, and will continue to try and beat the odds to become the latest undersized forward to go from overlooked prospect to NHL contributor.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have activated Matt Hendricks from injured reserve, and assigned Nic Petan to the Manitoba Moose. Hendricks is expected to be back in the Jets’ lineup when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night. The 36-year old forward is in his first year with Winnipeg, after spending the previous few season with Edmonton. Though he can’t be relied upon for much offense, he is tough to play against and has always been excellent in the faceoff dot. He’ll likely work his way onto a penalty kill for the Jets, something he’s done relatively well throughout his career.
  • Adam Cracknell has cleared waivers for the New York Rangers, something the Dallas Stars couldn’t accomplish earlier this month. The Rangers snagged him and inserted him into the bottom-six, but his role there wasn’t long-lived. After a relatively excellent season a year ago, Cracknell has been held scoreless through the first five games of the season (one for Dallas, four for New York) and now finds himself in limbo. Assigned to the AHL, he’ll join a Hartford Wolf Pack team that is spinning their wheels with a 3-3-1 record.

Snapshots: Koekkoek, Schroeder, Farnham

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When the Vancouver Canucks announced that Troy Stecher would be absent from their blueline for at least a month, questions started popping up over who the Canucks would promote to a starting role. While Alex Biega is set to get the first crack at his spot, he’s shown before that he doesn’t bring anything close to the type of game that Stecher was known for. Patrick Wiercioch is also up with the team, but similarly doesn’t represent much upside for the Canucks.

Cue the speculation, and an interesting name out of News 1130’s Rick Dhaliwal. Dhaliwal reports that an agent asked him “if [he has] heard the Canucks are talking to Tampa Bay about Slater Koekkoek.” While it’s not clear if that means they have in fact had any conversations, the possibility is interesting. With Mikhail Sergachev confirmed as staying with the team past the nine-game threshold, there isn’t a ton of ice time for Koekkoek. He’s clearly the odd man out in Tampa’s rotation, but would require waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.

  • Jordan Schroeder has indeed been sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, even with the injury to Lukas Sedlak. Schroeder cleared waivers earlier today, and will head to Cleveland to continue his season. The Blue Jackets, now down to 13 forwards, are currently carrying an extra roster spot. Whether that’s filled with another forward, or an eighth defenseman is still to be decided.
  • The Ottawa Senators have signed Jack Rodewald to a two-year entry-level contract. Rodewald had been playing with their AHL affiliate Belleville this season on a minor-league deal, but could now be called up to the NHL should his play warrant it. The undrafted forward scored 85 points in his final year of junior for the Moose Jaw Warriors, and has four points in his first five games this season in the AHL.
  • Bobby Farnham has signed a professional tryout with the Springfield Thunderbirds according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Farnham had appeared in New York Rangers’ training camp on a tryout earlier this summer, but failed to make the team. The undrafted forward has 67 NHL games under his belt, but is know more for his rough play than his scoring ability. He has just 10 career points, all with New Jersey in 2015-16.

Niemi Claimed By Florida; Cracknell On Waivers

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The waiver period from yesterday has come to a close, and Antti Niemi has been claimed by the Florida Panthers. Niemi was placed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday after allowing seven goals in his most recent game. Eric Fehr, Jordan Schroeder and Colin McDonald all cleared. The New York Rangers have also placed Adam Cracknell on waivers today.

Roberto Luongo is currently on injured reserve for the Panthers with a hand injury, meaning Niemi will serve as the backup for James Reimer until he’s ready to return. It’s interesting that the team would make a claim for an established backup, and likely indicates that the injury will keep Luongo out for at least a little while. The team had Harri Sateri up with the NHL club on emergency loan, but should be sent back to the AHL later today.

For Fehr, Schroeder and McDonald, clearing waivers doesn’t necessarily mean a trip to the AHL. The Maple Leafs had a scare with James van Riemsdyk last night when he went awkwardly into the boards, and though he didn’t miss a shift there is no rush to move Fehr out. The veteran forward’s spot could be used to bring back Calle Rosen or call up another young forward, but placing him on waivers could have also been an attempt to increase his trade value.

Schroeder was likely ticketed for the AHL until an ankle injury sidelined Lukas Sedlak in practice yesterday. Today, Schroeder is practicing with the team in the absence of Alexander Wennberg (maintenance), and could stay with the club to provide fourth-line depth. As expected, Zac Dalpe moved into that role today but is far from a guarantee to fill it long-term.

After starting the year on season-opening injured reserve, McDonald is likely headed for the AHL as the Flyers don’t have an obvious opening for him. The only two forwards who are waiver-exempt are Nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny, neither of which are going anywhere soon unless the team changes their mind on keeping Patrick past the nine game threshold—he’s currently at eight.

Cracknell is on waivers for the second time already this year, after being claimed by the Rangers from Dallas earlier this month. In four games for New York, he’s been held pointless in seven and a half minutes of ice time per night. Never expected to be much more than fourth line depth, Cracknell could still serve that purpose if he clears tomorrow.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall DeSmith, Place Rowney On IR

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Apparently the Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t want to wait to see if Antti Niemi cleared waivers or not. The team has recalled goaltender Casey DeSmith, and placed Carter Rowney on injured reserve to make room. Niemi was placed on waivers today after allowing seven goals on 32 shots.

DeSmith, 26, has slowly worked his way to the NHL through every level. Starting undrafted out of the USHL, he attended the University of New Hampshire where he dominated, helping to turn the program around and recording three straight years with a save percentage of at least .920. After being arrested for domestic assault in 2014, DeSmith was suspended for his entire senior year at UNH, and would go unsigned by any NHL team.

He’d sign a minor league deal with the Penguins in 2015, and started to work his way up through the organization. Recording solid numbers in two seasons, he earned a two-year, two-way NHL contract this summer and has been outstanding with a .965 save percentage through three games. While it’s unlikely that he’ll make a ton of starts for Pittsburgh, the team is tied for the most back-to-back matchups this season, and will need a backup goaltender to step in from time to time. If DeSmith falters, Tristan Jarry is waiting in the wings to take his place.

Snapshots: Parise, Mironov, Schroeder

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The Minnesota Wild could have some bad news to announce very soon, as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Zach Parise is considering back surgery to repair a herniated disk. The disk is giving him leg pain, and could take him out for up to two months. Russo reports the update will likely come on Tuesday.

The Wild had Mikael Granlund back in the lineup, but losing Parise for another two months would certainly hurt. Though he’s not the high-flying 45-goal man of his youth, the 33-year old forward is still a very effective two way player and a key part of the Minnesota team. Last year he recorded 42 points in 69 games, marking only the second time he hadn’t cracked 20 goals and 50 points in a non-lockout season since his rookie year. The first was a year lost completely to injury, when he tore the meniscus in his knee and needed surgery in 2010. Hopefully he doesn’t fall to a similar fate in 2017-18.

  • Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey tweets that his client Andrei Mironov will be recalled by the Colorado Avalanche today, returning him after just a few days with the San Antonio Rampage. Mironov was sent on a conditioning stint to get him into game action, since he was just sitting in the press box for the Avalanche. The Rampage had three consecutive games this weekend (all against the Texas Stars, a quirk of AHL scheduling), in which Mironov scored two points. He’ll try to get back into the Colorado lineup on a more regular basis in his first year in North America.
  • Jordan Schroeder, placed on waivers earlier today by the Columbus Blue Jackets, has also technically been recalled from his conditioning stint. Schroeder played in three games for the Cleveland Monsters, and will likely return to the AHL squad if he clears tomorrow. With him on the roster temporarily the Blue Jackets have 23 men, but are expected to activate Gabriel Carlsson from injured reserve in the next few days.

Eric Fehr, Antti Niemi Highlight Monday Waivers

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Four players have been placed on the waiver wire today according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. They are as follows:

Eric Fehr (TOR)
Antti Niemi (PIT)
Jordan Schroeder (CBJ)
Colin McDonald (PHI)

Fehr had been rotating with Dominic Moore as the fourth-line center for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but could end up in the minor leagues for the time being. While Toronto added Roman Polak and demoted Calle Rosen, Fehr’s waiver status could allow them to recall the latter as soon as tomorrow. The team already has Josh Leivo sitting on the sidelines as a depth forward, unable to get into a game.

The Maple Leafs acquired Fehr last year from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal for Frank Corrado, earning them a fourth-round pick for taking on his salary. The veteran forward earns $2MM this season, but hasn’t shown enough to stay in the lineup on a nightly basis. While he did have a role on the team as a penalty killer, Moore can accomplish that with just as much success for just $1MM. If the Maple Leafs do send him to the minor leagues, they’ll save $1.025MM in cap space (prorated for the remainder of the season). That price tag likely will scare off any potential claims.

Niemi, 34, has been a terrible experiment for the Pittsburgh Penguins so far this season, recording a .797 save percentage through his three games. Stopping just 63 of 79 shots, the former Stanley Cup champion hasn’t been able to find his game after the team took a chance on him this summer. Bought out by the Dallas Stars, Niemi signed a one-year $700K contract with the Penguins but likely won’t start another game for them this season.

There is a chance that the Vegas Golden Knights could claim Niemi, as they are currently operating with two AHL goaltenders in Oscar Dansk and Maxime Lagace. While Niemi doesn’t offer much of an upgrade in performance, he could allow them to continue to start one of the two in the AHL for the time being. Still, it doesn’t seem like he’s destined to play much in the NHL this year as even Vegas would only be using him as a stop-gap until Marc-Andre Fleury or Malcolm Subban could return.

Schreoder was signed this summer to a two-year deal with the Blue Jackets, but was never expected to play the full season in Columbus. A prototypical 13th forward, Schroeder has never suited up for more than 37 NHL games in a single season (though also not fewer than 25 in the last five). Schroeder was on a conditioning stint with the Cleveland Monsters and will likely continue to play for them after clearing tomorrow.

McDonald has a similar story to Schroeder, playing as a depth forward for several teams over his career. Bouncing up and down between the minor leagues is no new thing for him, as he’s only played one full season at the NHL level in his ten year professional career. The 33-year old was on season-opening injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury in training camp, and will likely be assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Detroit Sends Sproul To Rangers For Puempel

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The Detroit Red Wings have completed a second trade in as many minutes as the team has traded defenseman Ryan Sproul to the New York Rangers for wing Matt Puempel, tweets CapFriendly.

The move comes minutes after the Red Wings traded center Riley Sheahan and a 2018 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for winger Scott Wilson and a 2018 third-round pick. The Red Wings are likely ensuring they have a backup center in their system in Puempel after trading away Sheahan.

Sproul has spent the entire 2017-18 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, putting up one goal and three assists in five games. He was not able to make the NHL roster and was sent down. The 24-year-old former second round pick in 2011, is an offensive defenseman, but has had trouble breaking into the Red Wings lineup. He played 27 games with Detroit last year, putting up seven points, but has spent most of his career in Grand Rapids.

Puempel, also has spent the entire year in the AHL. He has scored one goal and three assists for the Hartford Wolfpack. The 24-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Ottawa Senators last November after scoring no points in 13 games for Ottawa. However, in 27 games for the Rangers, he put up six goals and three assists and didn’t spend any time in the AHL last year.

Both Sproul and Puempel have already been sent to their new respective AHL teams as Sproul has been assigned to Hartford, while Puempel will join Grand Rapids.

 

Malte Stromwall Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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The New York Rangers have placed Malte Stromwall on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Stromwall had been demoted to the ECHL this season, after struggling in his return to North American hockey last year.

Signed in the spring of 2016, Stromwall was coming off an outstanding campaign in the Swedish Allsvenskan, scoring 42 points for AIK. At the time, it seemed like a shrewd depth pickup for the Rangers to find an undrafted offensive player. All the better that Stromwall was familiar with the North American game, having played two seasons for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. He had found success in his final year of junior, but struggled back in Europe when playing in the SHL.

The diminutive forward will likely return to Sweden to play, after recording two points in two games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Riding buses in the East Coast league is likely not what he expected when he inked a contract with the New York Rangers.

Snapshots: Josefson, Megan, Foligno

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Injury news out of Buffalo today has Sabres’ forward Jacob Josefson out “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury sustained on Sunday. Josefson had been held scoreless through the first six games, but had been a key penalty killer for the team. The 26-year old signed a one-year, $700K contract with the Sabres this summer after not receiving a qualifying offer from the New Jersey Devils, and is looking to prove that he can be an effective bottom-six player for the team long-term.

Week-to-week doesn’t instill confidence that he’ll be back anytime soon, so the Sabres will have to find another way to fill out their forward group. Today at practice Sam Reinhart was back at center, with Justin Bailey jumping up beside Ryan O’Reilly on the second line. The Sabres are looking for some answer to their early season struggles as they take on Vancouver tomorrow night.

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