Evening Notes: Dumba, Wiesblatt, Meyer
It seems as though Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba has been on the trade block for years on end. Now, rumors are once again starting to build up regarding the 2012 seventh overall pick. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on today’s edition of Insider Trading that both the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers have shown interest in Dumba, who is a pending unrestricted free agent.
Both teams still have playoff aspirations, desperately trying to add defensive depth. Dumba’s offensive production has taken a step back this season, as he’s recorded just 11 points in 39 games. It’s a far cry from his 50-point campaign in 2017-18, as injuries have mounted up.
Ottawa seems to have a larger hole of the two teams mentioned on the right side, but they do sit further out of playoff positioning than the Oilers. With Minnesota solidly in playoff positioning, they would undoubtedly be looking for roster players in return for the 28-year-old Dumba.
- San Jose Sharks 2020 first-round pick Ozzy Wiesblatt has spent the entirety of 2022-23 in the professional ranks but is still technically eligible for another year of junior hockey. In anticipation of a potential return to juniors, the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks traded for Wiesblatt’s rights today. In 17 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, Wiesblatt has managed five points in a limited role. A return to junior hockey for the latter half of the season would likely make some sense, especially on an already-strong Winterhawks squad.
- Even more injury troubles struck the Columbus Blue Jackets today, as forward Carson Meyer left their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an upper-body injury, per the team, and did not return. The Ohio-born forward had yet to record a point in 12 NHL games this year, but mustered over a point per game in the minors. A sixth-round pick in 2017, Meyer is continually challenging his way up the organizational ranks.
Seattle Thunderbirds To Acquire Dylan Guenther’s WHL Rights
A second major Canadian Hockey League trade involving a top-flight prospect with NHL experience is coming this week. Per Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds have a deal to acquire the rights to Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther from the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Seattle will send a draft pick plus a prospect for Guenther’s rights, which will shift to a first-round selection and other draft picks if Arizona returns Guenther to the WHL.
Most recently, Guenther stood out on Canada’s top junior team, scoring the golden goal in overtime to defeat Czechia in the 2023 World Junior Championships gold medal game. He finished the tournament with seven goals and three assists in 10 games.
Drafted ninth overall in 2021, Guenther has stuck in the NHL full-time this season, at least before the World Juniors started. He’s amassed a respectable 11 points in 22 games, and while he may not be in Calder consideration, it’s a strong showing for a 19-year-old without much support around him.
He’s returned to the Coyotes roster for now, but if he shows signs of faltering as the season goes on, the Coyotes can opt to return him to junior hockey if they feel continued NHL play is stunting his development. In that case, the Thunderbirds, already one of the best teams in the WHL, would receive one of the absolute best scorers in junior hockey.
Guenther was on pace for a 100-point campaign in the WHL last season, amassing 91 points in 56 games with the Oil Kings. In his draft year, he managed 24 points in just 12 games during a COVID-shortened stint.
Seattle already boasts a trio of top-end NHL-affiliated blueliners with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allen, in addition to Nashville’s Luke Prokop, in the fold. They’re led in scoring by a pair of 20-year-olds in Montreal’s Jared Davidson and Calgary’s Lucas Ciona, who both have 50 points in less than 35 games.
Winnipeg Jets Loan Brad Lambert, Chaz Lucius To WHL
The Winnipeg Jets have decided to send a couple of top prospects from their minor league club to the WHL. Brad Lambert and Chaz Lucius are headed to the Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winterhawks, respectively. This is huge news for the junior clubs, who get to add difference-making talent for their stretch drives.
Lambert, 19, was the 30th overall selection in 2022 and made quite an impact in the preseason before eventually being assigned to the Manitoba Moose. Despite having played two seasons of professional hockey in Finland before coming to North America this year, Lambert has struggled in the AHL, scoring just two goals and three points in 14 games. Those frustrations continued at the World Juniors where he was only able to record a single goal for Finland, even in his third go-round at the tournament.
Still, he should be a dominant player for Seattle as he moves back to junior hockey. The experience he has in Finland and at the AHL level will only serve to make him more effective in the WHL, and Lambert is joining an incredibly talented club that has its sights set on a Memorial Cup.
To do that, they’ll have to get past the Winterhawks, though, who may be adding the more effective player of the two. Lucius, 19, was the 18th overall pick in 2021 and just showed how good he could be at the World Juniors, recording five goals and seven points for the U.S. squad. That comes after 12 games with the Manitoba Moose, his first taste of professional hockey after one season of college hockey. It’s not very often you see the NCAA->AHL->CHL route for prospects, but Lucius is going to get an opportunity to play huge minutes and help a Winterhawks team that is just a few points behind Seattle for first place in the Western Conference.
These assignments could be game-changing moments for both franchises, who recently saw the third-place Kamloops Blazers (hosts of this year’s Memorial Cup) send a huge package to the Everett Silvertips for Olen Zellweger. It’s an arms race in the WHL, and it should make for outstanding hockey down the stretch.
West Notes: Leddy, Dach, Knyzhov, White
The Blues will be without defenseman Nick Leddy tonight against Montreal due to an upper-body injury, relays Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The 31-year-old is in his first full season with St. Louis after being acquired back at the trade deadline from Detroit last year. While Leddy isn’t putting up the points that he did earlier in his career, he has been a steady presence in the top four, logging more than 21 minutes a night while contributing 11 assists in 39 games. Head coach Craig Berube indicated that this injury is one that has been lingering for a while for Leddy and that he’s not sure how long the blueliner will be out. Leddy joins a rapidly growing injured list for the Blues that also includes Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Torey Krug, among others.
More from the West:
- Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach is on the move as Seattle of the WHL announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old from Kelowna for two players and three draft picks. The center was injured while playing for Canada at the World Juniors but is expected to recover well before the playoffs begin in March. Dach has already signed his entry-level deal with Chicago and will be able to play in the minors next season making this a pure rental on the part of the Thunderbirds. Dach has 17 points in 14 games so far this season.
- Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov appears to be well ahead of schedule as he works his way back from Achilles surgery, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Knyzhov has yet to play in nearly 20 months due to a variety of injuries with this latest one coming in August and carrying a six-month recovery timeline. The 24-year-old was a regular on San Jose’s blueline when he last played in 2020-21 and while he’ll undoubtedly need some time in the minors to get back up to speed, he has been participating in full practices which suggests that game action could be coming sooner than later.
- Stars prospect Gavin White is on the move in the OHL as Peterborough announced that they’ve acquired the blueliner as part of a multi-player swap. The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Dallas last year (112th overall) and was quite productive for Hamilton before this move, averaging a point per game in 22 contests. White, who hasn’t signed yet with Dallas, is eligible to play in the minors next season but could also return for his overage year in junior.
Snapshots: Nedeljkovic, Draisaitl, Latimer, AHL Trade
Not too many players receive Calder Trophy votes in two separate seasons. Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is one of those players. The former Carolina Hurricanes netminder lead an impressive rookie campaign down south before a surprising trade to the Red Wings that summer. Since the trade though, Nedeljkovic has struggled to adjust, slipping to a 3.31 goals-against average and .901 save-percentage. Things haven’t gone his way this season either, slipping further to a troubling 4.09 goals-against and .880 save-percentage.
With those struggles, many have wondered what Detroit will do with the goaltender, who is now the third-string behind starter Ville Husso and backup Magnus Hellberg. Some have wondered if a conditioning stint will be next for Nedeljkovic, who hasn’t played since December 8th. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan that discussion of a conditioning stint hasn’t happened yet, but “[e]verything is on the table.” Lalonde added that the team will need that roster spot eventually with players coming back from injury, so “something will probably shake down.”
- Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl, who missed last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken, is unlikely to play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets, says TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. Draisaitl, who Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said was nursing some bumps and bruises, didn’t practice Thursday either. The 27-year-old has 21 goals and 36 assist through 36 games this season. With Edmonton’s struggles, despite having Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in the lineup, they’ll need the former back in the lineup as soon as possible to keep things rolling.
- Ottawa Senators prospect Carson Latimer has been dealt in the WHL. The former Prince Albert Raiders forward will be heading to the Kootenay Ice in exchange for forward Aiden Oiring, a third-round pick in 2024, and a conditional third-round pick in 2025. Latimer has spent parts of four seasons with Prince Albert and the Edmonton Oil Kings, sitting on 28 points through 31 games thus far in 2022-23.
- The Colorado Eagles and Hartford Wold Pack completed a small trade in the AHL earlier today, reports NHL.com and AHL.com’s Patrick Williams. Forward Ben Tardif is heading to Hartford while defenseman Luke Martin will be heading to Colorado. Tardif, 22, has four points through 15 games in the AHL this year, as well as nine points in seven ECHL games. The ability for offensive dominance is there for Tardif, who had 59 points over 53 ECHL games last year. Martin, 24, was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2017, and though he hasn’t made his NHL debut yet, he’s also dominated the ECHL with 68 points in 84 games on the backend over this season and last.
Flyers Sign Ethan Samson To Entry-Level Contract
The Flyers have agreed to terms with one of their prospects as NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman relays (Twitter link) that they’ve signed defenseman Ethan Samson to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 19-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Philadelphia back in 2021 (174th overall) but Samson has outperformed his draft stock since then. After putting up 48 points in 68 games with Prince George of the WHL last season, he’s off to an even better start this year with 24 points in 27 contests. That was enough to earn Samson an invitation to Canada’s camp for the World Juniors although he wasn’t able to crack their roster.
Samson will remain in junior this season so technically, while the first year of the deal is this season, it will slide a year and still have three years remaining on it. He’ll be eligible to turn pro next season and with the Flyers only having three of their current AHL defensemen under contract beyond this year at the moment, there should be an opportunity for Samson to suit up for AHL Lehigh Valley in 2023-24.
Ducks Sign Gage Alexander To Entry-Level Contract
The Ducks have signed one of their 2021 draft picks, announcing the signing of goaltender Gage Alexander to a three-year, entry-level contract. CapFriendly reports that the deal carries an AAV of $810K.
The 20-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Anaheim back in 2021 (148th overall) out of Winnipeg of the WHL. Prior to this season, Alexander was moved to Swift Current where he was splitting time with Boston prospect Reid Dyck. Alexander had the better numbers of the two, posting a 3.47 GAA and a .898 SV% in 15 games.
While most players that sign their entry-level contracts in-season typically return to their junior teams, that’s not the case here. Instead, the Ducks have assigned Alexander to San Diego of the AHL. With Lukas Dostal still up with Anaheim for the time being, Alexander should be paired up with Olle Eriksson Ek with the Gulls and get a chance to start his professional career in the near future.
Although he started the year in junior, Alexander will burn the first year of the contract this season even if he doesn’t get into an NHL action with Anaheim in the second half of the season.
Florida Panthers Loan Aleksi Heponiemi To AHL
On December 15th, the Florida Panthers recalled Aleksi Heponiemi from the AHL on an emergency recall, as the team was dealing with an illness that was working its way around the roster.
Now, per a team announcement, Heponiemi has been returned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. It’s been a busy season so far for the young Finnish forward, as marks Heponiemi’s ninth transaction of 2021-22.
Heponiemi has scored three points in 10 NHL games this year and eight points in 18 AHL games. The 23-year-old was drafted by the Panthers 40th overall at the 2017 draft, fresh off of his impressive rookie season in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos. While Heponiemi scored 86 points in 72 games that year, it was his sophomore WHL season that rocketed him towards top prospect status.
In 2017-18, Heponiemi scored 118 points in just 57 games, which went along nicely with the 30 points he scored in 26 playoff games as the Broncos took home the WHL title.
That stunning performance led him to make his professional debut in the Finnish Liiga, playing for Karpat. He scored 46 points in 50 games, no small feat given the somewhat conservative nature of Liiga, and after that year he headed to North America.
Unfortunately for Heponiemi, the immense scoring success he found in Finland and in the WHL hasn’t translated to the North American professional ice. Heponiemi’s AHL scoring started slow, with just 14 points in 49 games in 2019-20. Last year it began to come along, though, as he scored 39 points in 56 games.
In the NHL Heponiemi has struggled with the lack of time and space he is afforded by a league with such fast and physical players. While his total of just six points and 25 total games played is a disappointment considering his once-lofty prospect status, the fact remains that he won’t turn 24 for a few more weeks, meaning there is still time for his game to grow.
He’ll need to put together a strong, productive season at the AHL level first, though, and this loan back to Charlotte will restore his platform to put that sort of year on his resume.
West Notes: Myers, Shaw, Luypen, Blumel
With the Maple Leafs set to miss Jake Muzzin for several more months and perhaps longer, it has led to some speculation that they could look to acquire a veteran rearguard in his place. To that end, some have suggested that Canucks blueliner Tyler Myers could be a fit but Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston reports that Toronto’s interest is believed to be lukewarm at most. Myers is signed through next season with a $6MM AAV and has logged over 20 minutes a night throughout his career. However, his production has fallen off over the past few seasons as he has only scored once in his last 97 games.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference:
- Mason Shaw has impressed since being recalled from the minors last month and has made enough of an impression on the Wild that they’ve told him that he’ll be staying up with them for the rest of the season, relays Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. The 24-year-old played in three games with Minnesota last year but has already surpassed that with a dozen appearances this season that have seen him pick up two goals and three assists along with 24 hits while averaging nearly 13 minutes a night of ice time. Shaw is making the league minimum this season and will have arbitration rights next summer.
- Back in August, when the Blackhawks signed prospect Jalen Luypen to an entry-level contract, it was expected that the 20-year-old would play with AHL Rockford this season. However, Scott Powers of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the plan has changed now that his junior rights were acquired by Tri-City. Instead of turning pro, Luypen will report for his final season in the WHL once he’s cleared to return after he underwent rotator cuff surgery in the summer. Even though he’ll go back to junior, he will burn the first year on his contract this season.
- The Stars have brought back Matej Blumel, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). He was sent down yesterday when it was expected that they’d need to bring up an extra goaltender. However, that’s no longer the case so Dallas has the cap room to bring the 22-year-old back up.
West Notes: Oilers, Beaupit, Bowers
While Evander Kane will be on LTIR for the next several months, don’t expect the Oilers to be active when it comes to trying to replace the power forward. As Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic relays in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link), Edmonton isn’t expected to make a move of significance to add a replacement. Since Kane is expected to be able to return down the stretch, they’re unlikely to want to take on a sizable contract knowing they’ll have to get back to cap compliance in order to bring Kane back to the active roster. Short of AHL recalls (of which they’ve already made two), Ken Holland probably won’t be much more active than that when it comes to bringing up a replacement. They do have one open roster spot still and ample LTIR space so one other recall could come at some point.
More from the West:
- Sharks goalie prospect Mason Beaupit is on the move at the junior level as WHL Winnipeg announced that they’ve acquired the 19-year-old from Spokane. Beaupit was a fourth-round pick of San Jose (108th overall) this past summer after posing a save percentage of .893 last season in 49 games. Things haven’t gone as well this year, however, as that dropped to .833 in nine contests with the Chiefs. The Sharks have until June 1, 2024 to decide whether or not to sign him.
- The Avalanche officially registered the recall of forward Shane Bowers today, per the AHL’s transactions log, paving the way for him to make his NHL debut tonight. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick (28th overall) back in 2017 and is the final first rounder from that draft class to make an NHL appearance. Bowers is off to a good start with AHL Colorado with six points in his first ten games this season.