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Minor Transactions: 10/08/19

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After a relatively quiet Monday night around the NHL, things are ready to kick into high gear tonight with eight games on the schedule. Among those are some heavyweight matchups and upstart battles, but perhaps most interesting will be one between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames. Though the Kings may not be quite ready for playoff contention, don’t tell Drew Doughty that. The veteran defenseman has been in the news this week as he prepares to face his young rival in Matthew Tkachuk tonight.

As always we’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make in preparation for tonight’s action.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have officially recalled Sami Niku and Nelson Nogier from the AHL, while placing Bryan Little on injured reserve. The team has also given Dmitry Kulikov a personal leave, making their defense quite an inexperienced group for tonight’s game. Josh Morrissey will also not be back in the lineup even after returning to practice in full yesterday, meaning the team will have a tough test containing Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
  • After using some deft roster management to get the full benefit of long-term injured reserve yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings have sent Oliwer Kaski and Ryan Kuffner back to the minor leagues. Andreas Athanasiou has also been activated and should be in the Red Wings’ lineup tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
  • Kevin Connauton has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche, who were carrying just six defensemen while Ian Cole continues to recover from injury. The team will take on the Boston Bruins on Thursday, though it is not clear who exactly will be in the lineup at this point.

Morning Notes: Three Stars, Leighton, Morrissey

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for the first week of the season, and New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad leads the way. Zibanejad leads the NHL with eight points through his first two games, including a hat-trick on the weekend against the Ottawa Senators. The Rangers are off to a fast 2-0 start in a season that they hope will end in a playoff run for the young squad, and Zibanejad will be a huge part of that process.

Anthony Mantha and Auston Matthews take home the other two spots after scoring five goals each in their first week. Mantha did it in just two games, including a four-goal performance last night against the Dallas Stars. The 25-year old winger is looking to build off his career-high 25 goals a year ago, which he recorded in just 67 games. Matthews meanwhile continues his October dominance, scoring in each of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first three contests. The 22-year old center now has 30 goals in 35 career games in the month of October.

  • Michael Leighton has decided to hang up his pads after a long professional career, announcing his retirement through Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). The veteran goaltender played for 21 different teams over an 18-year career, suiting up 111 times in the NHL regular season. Perhaps most notably though was his appearance for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 playoffs, where he started 13 games and recorded a .916 save percentage. The Flyers would lose in the Stanley Cup Final to the Chicago Blackhawks, with Patrick Kane scoring his classic Cup-winning goal in overtime of game six against Leighton.
  • Josh Morrissey returned to practice for the Winnipeg Jets today, and his presence will be welcomed wholeheartedly whenever he’s able to suit up for a game. The Jets defense has been ravaged by everything from free agency, to injury and even potential retirement, leaving Morrissey as the most important blueliner on the team. The team is back in action tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, before returning home for a game on Thursday night.

Central Notes: Strome, Little, Dickinson, Comeau

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After watching a long line of restricted free agents waiting until the end of the summer (and many well into training camp) to sign, many teams are trying to get their RFAs locked up as soon as possible. After the Chicago Blackhawks signed Alex DeBrincat to a new three-year, $19.2MM deal the day before the season started, the next question many fans have now is whether Dylan Strome might be next in line for a contract.

The tough point for Chicago, however, is the sample size, according to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis. Strome struggled significantly while with Arizona before finally taking off once traded to the Blackhawks. He scored 17 goals and 51 points in 58 games once traded to the Blackhawks. However, does that mean Strome should get a big contract based on that partial season?

“I don’t anticipate negotiating through the press with Dylan either and I think that was a nice thing with Alex, you guys kind of left us alone with that one, so I would suggest to do the same thing,” Stan Bowman joked with the media. “But we have time on that. Certainly that’s the next order of business. Whether we do it now or in a month or in six months, I can’t say at this point, but certainly that’s something we’ll take a look at.”

  • NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton reports that Winnipeg Jets veteran center Bryan Little skated with the team at Sunday’s morning skate, wearing a gold non-contact jersey. Little has been out for a week since suffering a concussion a week ago in their preseason finale against the Wild. It’s a step in the right direction, but don’t expect Little to be inserted into the lineup immediately. “You get him out there with a lot of traffic and motion and see how he feels,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “He’s moved closer, but I don’t think he’s ready for (Pittsburgh) because he’d need more than one full contact practice. We’ll get him through at least one or two more in the gold.”
  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that forward Jason Dickinson is still expected to be out another week, if not more, with an upper-body injury after taking a cross check against Boston, while veteran Blake Comeau remains out between two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. Dickinson was just starting to establish himself as a second-line option for Dallas before the injury. He scored six goals and 22 points last year in his first full season. The team is hoping for more from the 24-year-old. Comeau is a key bottom-line player for Dallas.

New Jersey Devils Sign Joe Morrow

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26-year-old Joe Morrow is set to join his sixth different NHL franchise. Or seventh if you count his recent training camp stint with the New York Rangers. The New Jersey Devils must have seen something they liked while he was in camp with their cross-town rivals, as the team has announced a one-year, two-way contract with Morrow. The deal is worth the minimum $700K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL. He has been placed on waivers today for the purpose of reassignment to AHL Binghamton.

Morrow has quietly established himself as a capable puck-moving depth option on the blue line, despite a career in which teams have been willing to move on from him quickly. Morrow was traded twice before even making his NHL debut; first from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who current Devils GM Ray Shero selected in the first round in 2011, to the Dallas Stars, then from the Stars to the Boston Bruins. Morrow played in 65 games with Boston in his first four pro seasons, but failed to impress and the team opted not to qualify him in 2017, making him a free agent. Morrow signed with the Montreal Canadiens and finally looked like his ability had caught up to his draft billing, but the Habs dealt him to the Winnipeg Jets before the end of the season. After continuing his career-best campaign with Winnipeg, even contributing in the playoffs, the Jets held on to him last year. However, he failed to capitalize in 41 games, the most NHL action he had seen with one team in a season, and the Jets also decided not to extend a qualifying offer. Morrow received little attention in the off-season and his PTO with the Rangers didn’t pan out.

However, the Devils see a smooth skating defenseman with 162 games of NHL experience and strong AHL production and are clearly willing to take a chance. It’s likely not a coincidence that Morrow’s signing comes after New Jersey surrendered 12 goals in it’s first two games of the new season. Despite adding P.K. Subban this summer to a defense corps that also features other highly-mobile rearguards like Sami Vatanen, Damon Severson, and Will Butcher, it’s apparent that Shero is not happy with the early results and is looking to add depth. Morrow’s career production is very similar to that of Connor Carrick and superior to the likes of Mirco Mueller and Matt Tennyson, plus he brings the most playoff experience of the group. One could argue that he has a better defensive track record than the rest as well. If Morrow can find his groove in the AHL, he could easily challenge for a higher spot on the depth chart and perhaps even a regular role in New Jersey.

Minor Transactions: 10/06/19

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After a loaded Saturday slate, there are just three NHL games on the docket today. However, off-day teams could still use the time to make roster transactions to prepare for the coming week. Meanwhile, minor league and European teams alike continue to tinker with their rosters early in the year. Keep up with all of the action today right here:

  • The KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk made a swap of NHL veterans today, announcing the signing of forward Andrej Nestrasil and the release of defenseman Paul Postma. Nestrasil, 28, has had a strange start to the new campaign. The former Carolina Hurricanes forward was somewhat surprisingly not offered a contract extension by the KHL’s Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk this off-season despite two good seasons with the team since leaving the NHL. Without any options, Nestrasil returned home to the Czech Republic and signed with HC Ocelari Trinec just two weeks ago. After only two games with club – and a team-leading four points in those two games – Magnitogorsk came calling with an offer to return to the KHL for at least one more year and Nestrasil took it. His roster spot came at the cost of Postma’s in a way, whose contract was jointly terminated. Postma last played in the NHL with the Boston Bruins in 2017-18 and enjoyed a strong first KHL season with Ak Bars Kazan last year. He signed with Metallurg this summer, but lasted just ten games into his new one-year contract before the two sides apparently agreed to part. While there has been nothing yet to link the two sides, Postma spent much of his NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets, who are sorely in need of some defensive depth right now and could potentially look into a reunion.
  • Another former Bruins defenseman, Chris Casto, is headed overseas. After spending last season on an AHL contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Casto has opted to head to Germany. Grizzlys Wolfsburg of the DEL has announced a one-year deal with the 27-year-old former college standout. Ironically, what prompted the move was a season-ending injury to another past Boston defensive prospect, Ryan Button. Like Button, Casto could never take his well-rounded game to that next level in North America, but could be an impact player in Europe.
  • Ben Thomson has found a new home in the AHL. The 26-year-old enforcer has signed a one-year deal with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the team announced. Thomson spent last season on the opposite coast with the San Diego Gulls, but will now head back to tri-state area, where he once suited up for three games with the New Jersey Devils. A fourth-round pick of New Jersey in 2012, Thomson made a name for himself with the AHL Devils as an aggressive checking forward a consistent penalty minutes leader. That role has continued to find him employment at the minor league level, but Thomson is unlikely to get back to the NHL any time soon.
  • The jury is still out on who the goalie of the future may be for the Boston Bruins, if any of their current prospects. Dan Vladar has the most history with the organization, while Jeremy Swayman may have the most intrigue as he continues his development at the University of Maine. However, the most likely candidate may be 20-year-old Kyle Keyser, an undrafted signee who finished his junior career off on a high note with a strong OHL season and a World Juniors showing with Team USA. Yet, the Florida native will at least start his first pro season closer to home with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators. Mark Divver reports that Vladar and free agent third-string Maxime Lagace will begin their seasons with AHL Providence, while the Bruins have reassigned Keyser to Atlanta. It’s not uncommon for young goaltenders, even talented ones, to spend some time in the ECHL for the purpose of consistent starts, but Keyser will certainly be looking to prove he is worth of a look in the AHL right away this season.
  • The Ottawa Senators are certainly not lacking in prospect depth and the team seems likely to switch their talented young names in and out of the NHL and AHL lineups early on to ensure equal ice time until they can get a better feel for who belongs in Ottawa full-time. Today, the team has reassigned Drake Batherson and Filip Chlapik to AHL Belleville. They did not announce a corresponding move, meaning the same duo or two other prospects could be called up in the coming days.
  • With Evgeny Kuznetsov returning from suspension, the Washington Capitals had some salary cap maneuvering to do. The team has announced that forward Travis Boyd has been placed on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. They also announced that rookie defenseman Martin Fehervary has been sent down to Hershey. The 2018 second-round pick performed well in the team’s first three games, but some more seasoning in the minors won’t hurt. As for Boyd, the 26-year-old center is probably safe on the waiver wire, but is more of a risk than last season after recording 20 points in 53 games last season. The team has also “demoted” defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, but it is a paper move expected to be made frequently this season by the Capitals as they look to bank as much cap space as possible while fighting a very tight cap crunch.

Snapshots: Phillips, Lafleur, Heinola

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The Ottawa Senators announced that they will be retiring the number of longtime defenseman Chris Phillips on Feb. 18, 2020 when the Senators host the Buffalo Sabres. Phillips played his entire 17-year career with Ottawa between 1997 to 2015.

“Chris Phillips personifies all the wonderful things about being an Ottawa Senator,” said Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. “He was drafted first overall in 1996, and we all watched him grow into a legendary competitor on the ice and a community leader and family man who has made Ottawa his home. I’m very pleased to announce that the Senators Player Honouring Committee has decided to retire Chris’ legendary number 4. I’m happy that generations of Senators fans both present and future will be able to learn and appreciate one of the greatest players and people in this team’s history.”

Phillips, who was the first overall pick in 1996, played 1,179 games with Ottawa in the NHL, scoring 71 goals and 288 points and served as alternate captain from 2006 until he retired. Phillips will be just the third player in Senators’ history to have their number required. Frank Finnigan and Daniel Alfredsson were the other two.

  • NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs reports the good news that Montreal Canadiens Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur was discharged from a Montreal hospital Friday, following quadruple bypass surgery on Sept. 26, and has returned home and is resting in comfort. “My thanks to everyone for their incredible support,” said the 68-year-old Lafleur.
  • The Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre writes that with the way Ville Heinola is playing, it’s extremely unlikely that anyone will be able to bump him out of the rotation any time soon. The 18-year-old blueliner, who was the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, can play up to nine games with the Jets before it burns the first year of his entry-level contract. Many believed the Jets were just using Heinola for the first nine games to help fill the void on Winnipeg’s defense while they wait for Dustin Byfuglien to decide on whether he wants to return and the return of injured Sami Niku. However, Heinola is playing so composed on the ice that it could be very possible that he’ll remain with the Jets indefinitely.

Latest On Dustin Byfuglien

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Dustin Byfuglien’s leave of absence from the Jets was a big surprise heading into training camp and it doesn’t appear as there’s going to a return to action anytime soon.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (video link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that at this stage, Winnipeg is basically trying to talk him out of retirement.

The 34-year-old has battled ankle and concussion trouble over the past couple of seasons to the point where he stepped away last month to ponder his NHL future and now we know which way he’s leaning at the moment.  Byfuglien still has two years left on his contract with $14MM in salary being owed to him over that time so it’s not as if it’s a situation where he has a back-diving contract where most of the money has already been paid on it.

The Jets have seen their defensive depth take a big hit over the offseason losing Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot with their only real acquisition of note being Neal Pionk as part of the Trouba trade.  Now being without Byfuglien as well, what was once a strength has quickly turned to a weakness as Winnipeg has allowed ten goals through their first two games of the season.

While they would undoubtedly like to try to add to their back end, Byfuglien’s $7.6MM AAV is complicating things.  While he is currently suspended and not counting against their salary cap, the Jets only sit roughly $6.6MM under the Upper Limit, per CapFriendly.  In other words, if he was to come back over the next few weeks, they’d be over the cap.

Accordingly, Friedman notes that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is waiting to hear a final decision before making any moves.  If Byfuglien was to retire, then Winnipeg would have plenty of cap room to try to go and add another blueliner but for the time being, the waiting game will continue.

Poll: Who Will Win The Central Division In 2019-20

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We’ve finally reached the end of the offseason and things kick off this week around the NHL. Exhibition games are underway in Europe and final cuts have come down all around the league. The excitement for the upcoming season is palpable, with even the most minor transactions generating plenty of interest among hockey fans.

With that in mind we’re going to ask you, the PHR reader, to give us your thoughts on the upcoming season. We started with the Atlantic Division, which seemed an easy choice for a good chunk of our community. The Tampa Bay Lightning ran away with the poll, earning a whopping 46% of all votes. Next was the Metropolitan Division earlier today, which doesn’t look quite as lopsided. The Washington Capitals have been picked by 32% of the voters to take home their fifth consecutive division title, but the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils each currently carry more than 10%.

After finishing up the Eastern Conference we’ll now move west into the Central Division, where the Nashville Predators finished just a single point ahead of both the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues last season. In fact, Nashville’s 100 points were the lowest by any division winner and wouldn’t have even placed second in any of the other three groups. It didn’t do them much good either, as the Predators would fall in the first round to the Dallas Stars and have to watch their division rivals from St. Louis take home the Stanley Cup.

With that in mind, the Central might be the hardest division in the league to predict for 2019-20. All seven teams finished with at least 83 points last season and a similar thing might happen this year as they beat up on each other all year long. The Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche should all be improved, while the Jets still have a star-studded forward group even if their defense did take a hit in the offseason.

Who do you think will come out on top of the Central Division? Will Matt Duchene’s arrival make up for the loss of P.K. Subban from the back-end in Nashville? Can the young core in Colorado take them all the way to the top? Will the Blues continue to ride a breakout Jordan Binnington all year long? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out!

Who will win the Central Division in 2019-20?
St. Louis Blues 25.32% (493 votes)
Colorado Avalanche 23.63% (460 votes)
Nashville Predators 14.38% (280 votes)
Dallas Stars 12.28% (239 votes)
Chicago Blackhawks 11.04% (215 votes)
Winnipeg Jets 7.24% (141 votes)
Minnesota Wild 6.11% (119 votes)
Total Votes: 1,947

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Injury Notes: Beaulieu, Rust, Makar

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The Winnipeg Jets already lost several defensemen this summer to various means, and now will be without another for the first month of the season. Nathan Beaulieu has suffered an upper-body injury and will be out for four weeks according to Murat Ates of The Athletic. Beaulieu was one of the players expected to pick up some slack this season after re-signing with the Jets for $1MM, but will have to work hard to get back into the lineup at some point in the future. The team claimed Carl Dahlstrom off waivers today to give them some more depth.

Ates also notes that Bryan Little did indeed suffer a concussion when he was hit by Luke Kunin in a game this weekend. Though there is no timetable for his return at this point, it comes as just another blow to a weakened Jets team that can’t seem to find any respite these days.

  • Another team that might be facing a lengthy absence from an important player is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today that Bryan Rust will be out “longer-term” after blocking a shot against the Buffalo Sabres. Rust took the shot right to the palm of his hand, though there has been no confirmation if it is broken at this point. Sidney Crosby, who also blocked a shot and suffered a minor injury, was back out on the ice today for the Penguins.
  • Alarm bells went off in Colorado today when Cale Makar was missing from practice with the Avalanche, but head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic that it was just a “little tweak.” Makar is expected to be ready for the start of the season.
  •  The same can be said about Mikael Backlund who skated by himself before Calgary Flames practice today. Backlund has a minor lower-body injury and according to GM Brad Treliving (via Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet) is expected to practice tomorrow and be in the lineup when the Flames take on the Avalanche on Thursday night.

Eric Comrie, Carl Dahlstrom Claimed Off Waivers

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A huge number of talented players were on waivers yesterday, but it appears that just two have been claimed. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Arizona Coyotes have claimed goaltender Eric Comrie from the Winnipeg Jets, while Winnipeg themselves have picked up defenseman Carl Dahlstrom from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Comrie, 24, wasn’t the most accomplished goaltender on waivers yesterday, but does perhaps offer the most upside. Originally selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, the former WHL star has steadily improved his game in the minor leagues and posted a .917 save percentage in 47 games with the Manitoba Moose last season. The World Junior gold medalist can help the Coyotes deal with their early goaltending injuries, but it will be interesting to see if he lasts in the NHL long-term on a team that already has Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper locked into the top two spots. Because of that, Winnipeg may get a chance to reclaim him at some point.

Dahlstrom meanwhile may be in a much different situation. The Jets have lost a huge chunk of their defense corps this summer through trade (Jacob Trouba), free agency (Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot) and potential retirement (Dustin Byfuglien), leaving Josh Morrissey and a relatively new cast of characters. Dahlstrom will offer another young option to try out after he played 38 games for the Blackhawks last season. The second-round pick stands 6’4″ 231-lbs, size that many of the Jets’ current defensemen are lacking.

With just the two claims, it means that players like Daniel Sprong, Casey DeSmith, Joshua Ho-Sang, Thomas Hickey and Sven Baertschi can all be assigned to the minor leagues. A setback for all of them as they try to continue their NHL careers.

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