Minor Transactions: 12/30/17
While much of the hockey world’s focus has been on the World Juniors in Buffalo this week, the NHL is still rolling along with the 2017 segment of the season about to end. With six games tonight and another nine tomorrow on New Year’s Eve, teams are still making moves even with a day off for all but the Rangers and Sabres coming on Monday:
- The Winnipeg Jets announced today that young forward Brandon Tanev has been placed on injured reserve. Coach Paul Maurice told the media that it is a lower-body injury and that Tanev is expected to be out two to three weeks. While Tanev has only ten points thus far, he is enjoying his best NHL season to date, now in his third year with the Jets. His absence only compiles the loss of Mark Scheifele, as another possible depth player who could step up is now out of the picture.
- However, Winnipeg has responded by calling up highly-touted prospect Jack Roslovic from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Last season, Roslovic led the Moose in scoring as a rookie and in 2017-18 is the third-leading scorer in the entire AHL with 35 points. With Scheifele out, now is the time for Roslovic to jump in and show that he can be an offensive force in the NHL as well and is deserving of a roster spot for the remainder of the season.
- The St. Louis Blues have activated Jay Bouwmeester from his second stint on the injured reserve this season and expect him to suit up tonight for their game against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. In turn, the Blues have demoted rookie blue liner Jordan Schmaltz to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Schmaltz, 24, has been held scoreless in four games so far this season, but has 19 points to his credit in 24 AHL games.
- Andy Welinski has been returned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks announced. The move comes after a call-up in which Welinski made his NHL debut and recorded his first NHL point and ended a four-game stint with two assists and a +1 rating. The long-time Minnesota-Duluth star may have to wait awhile for another chance in Anaheim, but he made a good first impression.
- The Vancouver Canucks have brought Michael Chaput back up, according to a team release. Chaput was a frequent contributor in Vancouver last season, playing in 68 games, but has only three to date in 2017-18. While Chaput is having a good year down in the AHL with the Utica Comets, he would undoubtedly rather stick with the ‘Nucks on this recall.
- CapFriendly reports that the Nashville Predators have recalled forward Frederick Gaudreau from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, but also notes that this move would put the NHL roster at 24. With the placement of Filip Forsberg on IR, the roster returned to 23.
- In an on-paper move, the Washington Capitals recalled both forward Jakub Vrana and defenseman Madison Bowey from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Even though neither player moved anywhere, both were sent down Friday to help ease the team’s tight salary cap situation.
- The Boston Bruins activated center David Krejci off injured reserve today after having missed the past six games, according to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 31-year-old Krejci has only played in 18 games this year, having put up five goals and nine assists this year. He scored 23 goals a year ago.
Minor Transactions: 12/28/17
The roster freeze is over and we’re on to the next part of the season. With the trade deadline less than two months away, rumors and speculation will begin to heat up around the league. We’ll be here to sort through all the noise and bring you the most accurate, reliable information. Like always, we’ll also keep track of all the minor transactions of the day.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Vinni Lettieri from the AHL, perhaps due to the injury Chris Kreider suffered last night. Kreider didn’t come back to the bench for the second period, and is out with an upper-body injury. Lettieri, 22, was signed out of the University of Minnesota last season and would be making his NHL debut if he gets into a game. Lettieri has 21 points in 31 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack this season, and can play both center and wing.
- The Minnesota wild have officially sent Zach Parise down to the minors for his conditioning stint. We heard yesterday that it might just be for one day, while the Iowa Wild play Rockford.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Frank Corrado, after going without Kris Letang last night. The Penguins would end up winning the game in a shootout, but had to play with just five defenseman after Chad Ruhwedel left the game early. Corrado could get a chance right away with the Penguins heading to Carolina for a game tomorrow night.
- With Johnny Boychuk headed to injured reserve, the New York Islanders have recalled Sebastian Aho from the minor leagues. No, not the forward who stars in Carolina but the defenseman who was a fifth-round pick in June. Aho was passed over in three drafts before finally being taken, and has made an immediate impact for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season with 20 points in 29 games. The smooth-skating, undersized defenseman would be making his NHL debut if he makes it into the lineup.
- As expected when he was claimed back off waivers, Nathan Walker has been assigned to the minor leagues by the Washington Capitals. Walker spent some time in the Edmonton Oilers organization, but is now back with the Hershey Bears where he has made such an impact over the last few years.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Andrei Mironov from the minor leagues in time for their game tomorrow against the Maple Leafs. The team had just six defensemen up with the club, but will now have another option should one be fighting a minor injury.
- Arizona, Toronto’s opponent tonight, also recalled Mario Kempe ahead of their matchup. Kempe has played 18 games with the Coyotes this season in his return to North American hockey, scoring four points. The 29-year old has spent the last three years in the KHL.
Chris Kreider Pulled After First Period With Upper-Body Injury
10:05pm: Exhale, Rangers fans. Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that it is an upper-body injury for Kreider, and that there will be an update tomorrow on his status.
8:36pm: The rumor mill is in full swing as we near the end of the holiday roster freeze, and it centers on New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider. After playing the first period tonight against the Washington Capitals, the team announced that he would not return to the game. No injury was listed for Kreider, and there was nothing apparent during the game. The trade freeze is lifted at 12:00am ET tonight, though it obviously could still be an injury or illness that’s keeping him out.
Kreider, 26, doesn’t seem like a prime trade candidate after another successful start to his season. After setting career highs with 28 goals and 53 points last season, Kreider has 22 points through 36 games and is logging nearly 16 minutes a night.
Still under contract for two more seasons at a cap hit of $4.625MM, he’s an affordable piece that interestingly does not have any trade protection. Whether it is due to injury or a transaction, losing Kreider for any length of time would put a lot of stress on a Rangers team that is stuck in the middle of the competitive Metropolitan Division.
2017 Year In Review: February
2017 has been quite a busy year in the hockey world. There have been several big trades, the first expansion team in over 15 years, and much more. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. We already looked back at January yesterday.
Blues Fire Ken Hitchcock: After a slow start to the season (24-21) and his contract being up anyway at the end of the year, the St. Louis Blues decided to rid themselves of Hitchcock after six years with the franchise. Hitchcock had won 248 games with the Blues and took the team to the playoffs in each of the five years he coached the team, but only reached the conference finals once, in the 2015-16 season. He was immediately replaced by now-current head coach Mike Yeo, who was an assistant coach and was being groomed to replace Hitchcock after the veteran coaches’ deal expired. The move seemed to work as the team went 22-8-2 under Yeo and the team eventually lost in the second-round of the playoffs.
Robbi Fabbri’s Lower-Body Injury Begins His Demise: St. Louis Blues’ Robby Fabbri suffered what was described as a lower-body injury on Feb. 3 after sustaining a hit from Pittsburgh’s Carter Rowney, just three days after the team’s coaching change, and the young, talented stud prospect hasn’t played a game since. Two days later, he was listed as out for the season with a torn ACL, requiring surgery. Life only got worse for the Blues and Fabbri during training camp when he re-aggravated his knee and it was announced that he will miss all of the 2017-18 season as well to undergo a second surgery. The promising prospect will have missed more than a year and a half due to his knee injury as players with multiple knee injuries often have trouble returning to form.
Julien Fired By Bruins, Hired By Montreal: The Boston Bruins let go of head coach Claude Julien after 10 years with the franchise as the team was struggling with a 26-23-8 record on the season and didn’t look to be going anywhere in the playoff race. He had won 393 games with Boston in that span and was replaced by assistant and now-head coach Bruce Cassidy, who took Boston to the playoffs. However, just one week after being fired, Julien found employment again after the Montreal Canadiens fired Michel Therrien during his second-tenure with the team. Therrien had been coaching the team for five years (eight total), but Montreal was looking for a change after the team lost 10 of its previous 13 games and found Julien’s availability too good to pass up. Ironically, it was the second time that Julien replaced Therrien as the Canadiens’ head coach. He took over for him back in 2002 as well.
Lightning Trade Bishop To Los Angeles Kings: With the expectation that young prospect goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy would become the team’s future in the net, the Tampa Bay Lightning shipped veteran goaltender Ben Bishop off to the Los Angeles Kings for Peter Budaj, defensive prospect Erik Cernak, and and a 2017 seventh-round pick. A second pick was conditional on the Kings making the playoffs, which they didn’t. Bishop, who had been stellar for Tampa Bay in his tenure there, was just average with Tampa Bay last year with a 2.55 GAA in 32 games. He put up similar numbers with Los Angeles but only won two games for the franchise. Bishop was nothing more than a rental as he would be a free agent at the end of the season. The trade was especially confusing since the team had just gotten starter goaltender Jonathan Quick back from injury the day before the trade after he had missed all but one game due to injury. The trade was panned as many believed that the Kings needed a scorer, not more goalie support.
Blues Send Shattenkirk To Washington Capitals: While there were many interesting deals made at the trade deadline, none was more intriguing that the rumors that surrounded defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and his expiring contract. It was strange to see a playoff caliber team that was playing well under Yeo, to trade their top defenseman, but the team didn’t want to lose the veteran for nothing. Instead, the team traded Shattenkirk to the dominant Washington Capitals in their quest for a Stanley Cup (didn’t happen) as they got back prospect Zachary Sanford, veteran Brad Malone, a first-round pick in 2017 (which they packaged to Philadelphia for Brayden Schenn) and a second-round pick in 2019. Shattenkirk joined a dominant group of defenders in Washington, but struggled along with the rest of the team in the playoffs before the team was bounced by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Devils Activate Marcus Johansson From Injured Reserve
The New Jersey Devils announced today that off-season acquisition Marcus Johansson has been cleared to play and has been activated from IR. Johansson is set to return to the lineup tonight against the New York Rangers. Johansson is a nice piece to have back, but the Devils have gotten along fine without him, somehow still blazing through the 2017-18 season making a case for the top team in the Metropolitan Division.
Johansson, 27, was acquired from the division rival Washington Capitals this summer for second-round and third-round picks in the 2018 NHL Draft. More of a cap dump by Washington than a fair deal, Johansson was nevertheless expected to help turn things around in New Jersey this season. While that goal has certainly been accomplished, and far beyond expectations in terms of both time and ability, it has been done largely without Johansson. A slew of injuries – lower-body, concussion, bruised ankle – has limited Johansson to just 15 games with his new team. However, his return will still be a boost to the red-hot Devils. A five-time 40+ point scorer coming off a career-high 58-point campaign, the Swedish forward’s offensive talent is undeniable.
The Devils have a strong 19-9-5 record – one of just four teams left in the league with single-digit losses – and their .652 points percentage puts them atop the Metropolitan Division and second only to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference. Scoring (9th) and power play production (12th) – the hallmarks of Johansson’s game – have not been issues for the Devils, but it won’t hurt to get an added boost. New Jersey was already in good shape and they are about to get stronger. It may be time to start talking about the Devils as possible Eastern Conference spoilers in 2017-18.
Minor Transactions: 12/21/17
Who cares about a roster freeze. Despite the fact that teams can’t trade or waive players, there was quite a bit of movement around the league yesterday. Today is expected to be no different, and we’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day to keep up.
- The Montreal Canadiens recalled Brett Lernout late last night, bringing the young defender up to the NHL for the first time this season. Lernout, 22, has three games under his belt for the Canadiens in the past, and will be another option for the team while Shea Weber nurses his foot injury.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Madison Bowey and Jakub Vrana back to the minor leagues once again, after executing a paper transaction yesterday to save some cap room. After reclaiming Nathan Walker off waivers yesterday, the Capitals are pushed right up against the salary cap and need to bank as much room on a day to day basis as possible. With Bowey and Vrana both playing well, neither are expected to actually leave the roster for any games.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Andreas Englund from the AHL, giving them another defensive option for their three-game road trip. In a corresponding move, the team has placed Gabriel Dumont on injured reserve in order to make room for Englund on the roster.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Colby Cave from the AHL for the first time in his career, as Brad Marchand, Ryan Spooner and Riley Nash all deal with the flu. The trio are all game-time decisions for the team’s game against the Jets.
- Tyler Bertuzzi is back up with the Detroit Red Wings, a week after being sent down. Bertuzzi has played just a single game with the Red Wings this season, but is a player they still hope can grow into something special. It’s not clear if Bertuzzi will get into the lineup right away, but with Luke Glendening suffering a hand injury yesterday there could be room for the young forward.
Washington Capitals Claim Nathan Walker
The Washington Capitals have reclaimed Nathan Walker off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers and will report to the NHL squad for now, since the roster freeze is in effect.
Walker was acquired by the Oilers for a short period after being waived by the Capitals earlier this season due to a roster crunch, but was never unwanted by his previous organization. The fact that he is now back with them is no surprise.
Interestingly though, Walker’s addition puts the Capitals right up against the salary cap for the moment according to CapFriendly. The team won’t get to bank cap space for the next week the way it has this season unless they assign Madison Bowey or Jakub Vrana to the minors. Both players were sent down for just a single day earlier this week, meaning (since it was after December 11th) they can still be loaned to the minor leagues until December 23rd.
The Capitals likely don’t want to send either young player down due to their recent success, so we’ll have to wait to see what their decision is or if there is another way to get around the cap issue. For now, we know that Australian Walker is with the Capitals and will be for at least a week.
Edmonton Oilers Place Nathan Walker On Waivers
The Edmonton Oilers have made a move just before the roster freeze, placing forward Nathan Walker on waivers. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled Anton Slepyshev from the minor leagues and placed Oscar Klefbom on injured reserve. Walker was only claimed by the Oilers earlier this month, and will now be available once again to the rest of the league. If reclaimed by the Washington Capitals without any other team putting in a claim, Walker could be sent to the minor leagues immediately.
Walker, the first Australian to be drafted and play in the NHL, made his debut earlier this season when he suited up for the Capitals. Despite scoring in that first game, he played just six more games with the Capitals before hitting the waiver wire and moving up to Edmonton. In two games for the Oilers he’s been held scoreless, but still has some interesting upside for a team looking to add speed to their bottom-six.
Though technically the roster freeze will come into effect before Walker is through the waiver process, he can still be claimed by any team and report to them immediately. That could potentially give a team an extra player for the next week should they have the roster room, only to see him hit the wire once again after rosters are thawed out after Christmas.
Minor Transactions: 12/18/17
A new week begins in the NHL and teams must make their final few roster moves before a freeze is put in effect tomorrow night. We’ll keep track of any last minute moves around the league right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day.
- As expected, Madison Bowey and Jakub Vrana have both been recalled today. Their assignment to Hershey yesterday was nothing more than a cap saving measure, and both players weren’t expected to miss any time. Vrana is skating with T.J. Oshie—back at Washington Capitals practice today after missing several games with a concussion—and Evgeny Kuznetsov, an impressive line for the young forward.
- Ville Pokka is on his way back to the AHL without having played a game for the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, the 23-year old hasn’t been able to make an impact with the team since being acquired several years ago, and is still waiting to make his NHL debut. The Rockford IceHogs will welcome him back, but he’ll have to do more to crack the Blackhawks lineup down the road.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Tage Thompson from the AHL, while moving Samuel Blais to injured reserve. Thompson, 20, is a top prospect for the Blues who has already played four games for the club this season. Selected in the first round of the 2016 draft, Thompson turned pro out of the University of Connecticut last spring and so far has 16 points in 24 games for the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.
- With Brock Boeser out with a foot injury for the time being, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Reid Boucher to help up front. Because the extent of Boeser’s injury is unclear and he hasn’t been placed on injured reserve yet, the team sent down defensmean Ashton Sautner to make room for Boucher’s return.
- Edmonton has activated Adam Larsson from injured reserve and sent Anton Slepyshev to the minor leagues to make room. Larsson will be welcomed back with open arms after the team has started to play better of late. While still several points out of playoff contention, the Oilers have started to turn around what was a dreadful start of the year. Getting Larsson back after missing nearly three weeks will be sure to help.
- With Jacob Josefson returning to the lineup, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Hudson Fasching back to the minor leagues. Fasching has been held scoreless in five games for the Sabres this season, and has yet to make much of an impact on the organization since being acquired in 2014.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Ben Harpur from the minor leagues, bringing them to just 22 players on the active roster. The Senators had been operating with just 21 players on the active roster for some time, likely connected with the recent comments of owner Eugene Melnyk about cutting payroll. Harpur has played 12 games for the Senators this season, recording one point. It’s unclear if he’ll get into the lineup right away, or if he’s just up for insurance as the team takes on the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night.
Minor Transactions: 12/17/17
After an 11-game schedule last night that included the Centennial Classic at Lansdowne Park between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL has just four games on Sunday, but after all that action, many teams are likely going to make some moves to shuffle their rosters.
- NHL.com’s Brian Hedger reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets will make a few roster changes after the team’s 2-1 loss to Carolina Saturday. The team plans to recall winger Sonny Milano and defenseman Cameron Gaunce and intend to assign forward Jordan Schroeder and defenseman Gabriel Carlsson to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. For many of these players, they have been rotating back and forth between clubs most of the season. Milano has been one of those players. The 21-year-old has been with Cleveland for the past week and has two assists in four games there. He has played 25 games for the Blue Jackets, but has had trouble finding the net after a hot start. Gaunce will be recalled for the first time this season. The 27-year-old, who signed with Columbus in the offseason, has five assists in 20 AHL games. The team will return Schroeder, who has been up and down, but is slowly crossing the 10-game barrier that would force the team to place him on waivers again. The team placed the 27-year-old wing on waivers on Oct. 23. He has played eight games for Columbus with no points. Carlsson, has also been a two-way player quite often this year. The 20-year-old former first-round pick in 2015 has one assist in 10 games with Columbus and has played in just five games with Cleveland. He has been with the team since Dec. 1.
- The Florida Panthers announced the team has loaned winger Dryden Hunt to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL as the team is starting to get healthy again. The 22-year-old has been with the team since Nov. 9, but has just one assist in 11 games with the Panthers. Hunt had been playing well with Springfield to start the season, which is what prompted his promotion to Florida after he put up five goals and three assists in 13 games.
- The St. Louis Blues unsurprisingly activated defenseman Alex Pietrangelo Sunday, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Pietrangelo was activated after missing the last four games with a foot injury that he suffered in a Dec. 9 game against Detroit when he took a shot off his foot. The 27-year-old captain’s seven goals ranks third among NHL defenseman and his 23 points ranks him ninth among defenseman.
- Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post tweets that the Washington Capitals made a couple of roster moves today, sending defenseman Madison Bowey and winger Jakub Vrana to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. However, Khurshudyan adds that it is just a paper move to give Washington a small amount of cap space as both are not expected to leave town and will be recalled tomorrow morning.