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Byfuglien Out; Laine Questionable For Jets

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The Winnipeg Jets will be without at least one star player when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.

Head coach Paul Maurice announced that defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is out with a lower-body injury (LBI) sustained on Thursday, while rookie sniper Patrik Laine is “feeling under the weather” and is a game-time decision.

Byfuglien left Thursday’s loss to the Kings with an LBI and subsequently missed Friday’s loss to the Ducks. He’s been solid for the Jets this season, with 48 points in 74 games while averaging over 27-minutes per night. It’s not known exactly what the injury is or how long he’ll be out of the lineup.

Missing Laine for any extended period of time would be a big loss for the Jets; he has 34 goals and 61 points in 67 games as a rookie. While he’s been quiet lately (2-1-3 in his last nine games), he’s still been one of the best rookies in the NHL. Both Laine and Auston Matthews have 34 goals and 61 points, but Laine has played in seven fewer games. He’ll need a strong finish to earn the Calder Trophy for top rookie season. The team will make the call around 4pm ahead of the 7pm puck drop.

While the Jets have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race just yet, it would take an absolute miracle for them to make up the 13-point gap in their seven remaining games. They need to run the table while St. Louis loses out. Barring that unlikely situation, the Jets will miss the playoffs for the third straight season.

Winnipeg Jets Bring Up Kichton, Move Tanev To Regular Recall

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The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Brenden Kichton on an emergency basis, while removing those same conditions on Brandon Tanev. While it’s not clear who exactly is injured in the Jets’ defense corps, Rick Ralph of TSN reports that Dustin Byfuglien did exit the game early last night. Should Byfuglien be the one to sit out, he’d join an all-star group on the sidelines. Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba, Toby Enstrom and Ben Chiarot are all dealing with various injuries at the moment, making the Jets’ defense look like an AHL squad.

One of those AHL players is Kichton, who Winnipeg selected 190th overall in 2013 after he failed to come to terms with the New York Islanders and re-entered the draft. The 24-year old as yet to make his NHL debut but does have two 40+ point seasons in the AHL and has always been an extremely offensive threat. He regularly jumps into rushes, and has an excellent point shot when he’s given the time to release it. The defensive game is coming along, and he has turned himself into more than just an afterthought when it comes to NHL call-ups.

Tanev on the other hand has established himself in the NHL this season, playing 43 games and showing that he can be relied on as a defensive presence among the bottom-six. The brother of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev, Brandon is a hard-working winger who has registered four points this season while logging 111 hits. His presence, while not usually seen on the scoreboard is definitely felt among the opposing player bench. He’ll likely stick around for the rest of the season.

Minor Moves: McKenzie, Green, Beauvillier, Hronek

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As many non-professional seasons come to an end across North America and the world, players are starting to sign with their respective organizations to get a taste of the AHL and what lies beyond for them in their hockey careers. Here are some of the latest signings around the league:

  • The Utica Comets have signed Brett McKenzie to an amateur tryout after his season ended in the OHL. The North Bay Battalion forward was a point-per-game player for the first time in his junior career and led his team in goals with 29. Selected in the seventh round last season in his final year of draft eligibility, McKenzie will try to adapt his all-around game to the AHL level.
  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports that the Manitoba Moose have signed Luke Green an ATO. The third-round pick of the Jets this past draft had an outstanding year in the QMJHL, scoring 37 points in 60 games split between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Sherbrooke Phoenix. The 19-year old defenseman will have to return to the junior ranks next year if he doesn’t make the Jets out of camp—which would be quite a feat considering the names he would have to beat out on the right side.
  • Wiebe also tells us that the Moose have given Francis Beauvillier an ATO, one of the first out of the CIS (Canadian University) ranks this season. Beauvillier was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2012, but failed to sign with the team before heading to the University of New Brunswick. He even played eight games for the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL in 2013 on a similar deal.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have assigned both Givani Smith and Filip Hronek to Grand Rapids after their OHL seasons ended. Both players are already signed to their entry-level contracts, but will not burn a year due to their age as long as they stay in the AHL. Smith leaves the Guelph Storm after another season of moderate point totals and big penalty minutes. A second-round pick in 2016, the winger scored 44 points while collecting 139 penalty minutes in 64 games. Hronek on the other hand—also a second-round pick last summer—excelled in his first taste of North American hockey, scoring 61 points in 59 games. The Czech defenseman was the fourth-highest scoring defender in the OHL, showing his immense upside for the Saginaw Spirit.
  • As expected, Adam Ollas-Mattsson has joined the Stockton Heat on an ATO, coming over from his Swedish team. The 20-year old was a sixth-round pick for the Flames in 2014, and has been playing professional hockey since he was 17.

Winnipeg Jets Recall Brandon Tanev From Manitoba

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With the Winnipeg Jets heading out to the west coast for a two game road trip that will see them take on the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, they’ve recalled Brandon Tanev from the Manitoba Moose on an emergency basis. Though Chris Thorburn returned to the lineup, he skated only 2:47 last night.

Tanev has actually played 42 games with the Jets this season, but was sent down during the Jets’ bye-week and never brought back up. The forward had four points in those games and saw his ice time reduced heavily in the dozen games before his re-assignment. The younger brother of Vancouver’s Chris Tanev, Brandon went undrafted before being signed out of Providence College last spring.

The Jets find themselves out of the playoff picture once again as they sit 10 points back of Nashville for the final spot with just nine games to play. It has been a year with tremendous highs and lows for the Winnipeg franchise, who will try to avoid injury and go into next year with an excellent young group.

Minor Moves: Fischer, Moose, Friedman

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The Arizona Coyotes have decided it’s time for Christian Fischer to try and make his mark at the NHL level. The team recalled Fischer today and moved Laurent Dauphin down to the AHL. Fischer, the 32nd-overall pick in 2015 has done nothing but score this season for the Tucson Roadrunners. With 43 points in 51 games, the big offensive upside he showed in Windsor last season—when he scored 90 points in 66 games—hasn’t diminished at all.

Scoring two goals in his first three games earlier this year wasn’t a bad start, but he’ll try to prove he deserves a full-time role on the NHL team as soon as next season. As Sarah McClellan of AZCentral notes, this represents the Coyotes’ fourth and final call-up for the rest of the season, meaning they’ll only be able to bring up players on emergency conditions.

  • The Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, have signed two players to professional tryouts for the remainder of the season. Kale Kessy and Rob Flick will join the squad from their respective ECHL teams. Kessy, a former fourth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes has tried to turn himself into more than an enforcer over the years, and scored 23 points in 32 games for the Tulsa Oilers this season. Flick, a former selection of the Chicago Blackhawks, actually has had success in the AHL before, but found himself in the lower level this season. His scoring dominance there—59 points in 59 games—came paired with a penchant for fighting, and 160 minutes in penalties.
  • Mark Friedman has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, and will report to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the remainder of the season. The third-round pick had another impressive season in college and continues to draw comparisons to Shayne Gostisbehere in path and pedigree. While they don’t quite play the same style, Flyers fans should be excited by another puck-moving defenseman who will make his mark on the NHL before long. Though Philadelphia has had trouble solidifying their blue line in recent years, the emerging group led by Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov look like they will fare quite a bit better over the next several seasons.

Snapshots: Graovac, Sproul, Stuart

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The Minnesota Wild have sent Tyler Graovac back down the minors after playing the last three games with the club. After Jason Pominville was a healthy scratch last night against the Winnipeg Jets— a game which the Wild lost 5-4—he will likely figure back into the lineup tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks. Graovac has now played 52 games for the Wild this season, contributing nine points while skating just under ten minutes a game. The 23-year old will return to the Iowa Wild where he has ten points in twelve games, and wait for his next chance.

For Pominville, last night’s scratching was the first such occasion of his Minnesota career and came after being held scoreless in six of his last seven games. The winger had contracted the mumps disease last month and missed some time, and wasn’t very effective upon his return. In 67 games this season he does have 41 points, which is actually an improvement over his career-low (in a full season) of 36 last year. With a long playoff run upcoming, and two years left on his current contract, the Wild need the 34-year old to continue producing down the stretch.

  • Ryan Sproul still hasn’t decided whether his ACL injury will need surgery, as the Detroit Red Wings defender explained today. He will continue to rehab the knee for the next two weeks and have another examination before deciding whether he needs to go under the knife. Clearly frustrated, he spoke to reporters today about how this season has slipped away from him without accomplishing the one goal he had: prove he was ready for an NHL role. With only 28 games under his belt in his NHL career, he’ll try again next fall to become the solid defenseman the Red Wings were hoping for when they selected him 55th overall in 2011.
  • Though it seemed like Ben Chiarot could be the reason for the Winnipeg Jets recalling Nelson Nogier this morning, the defenseman took part in practice today and looks to be fine. Chiarot didn’t play in the last ten minutes of last night’s game, but it was Mark Stuart who was absent this morning. Head coach Paul Maurice told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun that there are a “few moving parts” on defense for the Jets’ upcoming game against the Philadelphia Flyers. If Nogier does get into the lineup, it would be his NHL debut.

Nelson Nogier Recalled By Winnipeg Jets On Emergency Basis

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The Winnipeg Jets have brought up Nelson Nogier on emergency recall, giving the 20-year old a chance at his NHL debut. The team will host Philadelphia tomorrow night, and are likely still without both Paul Postma and Jacob Trouba. As Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports, Ben Chiarot didn’t play for the last 10:57 of the third period, meaning he’s likely the one who has suffered an injury of some sort.

Nogier was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and proceeded to post two solid seasons of junior hockey before making his professional debut this season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The Saskatoon native has 13 points in 53 games in the minors this season, playing as the youngest defender on the team.

Drafted as a defensive specialist, his offensive game has grown in the past few years to the point where he could make an impact at the NHL one day. A big-bodied, right-handed shot defender who can move the puck and contribute on both special teams is exactly what every team is looking for—every team except the Jets perhaps, when they’re at full strength. Though even the front office would likely agree he’s not quite ready for the NHL just yet, a little taste of what it’s like is often good for the development of prospects.

Minor Transactions: 3/18/17

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Here is where we’ll keep tabs on today’s minor roster moves:

  • Tomas Nosek’s stint in Detroit only lasted a few hours as the Red Wings announced that he had been returned to Grand Rapids of the AHL after being recalled on an emergency basis this morning. The forward has yet to get into any games with the Wings this year but sits fifth in scoring with the AHL’s Griffins with 15 goals and 24 assists in 48 games.  Considering Darren Helm went down with an injury against the Avalanche this afternoon, there’s a chance Nosek could be back up with the big club before long.
  • With defenseman Paul Postma set to miss tomorrow’s game and Jacob Trouba out on more than a day-to-day basis, the Jets announced that they have recalled blueliner Brian Strait from AHL Manitoba. After spending the past three seasons exclusively in the NHL with the Islanders, the 29 year old has yet to suit up with Winnipeg this season.  In 50 minor league contests, Strait has two goals and 10 assists.
  • Flames goalie Brian Elliott returned to the lineup last night and as a result, they terminated the emergency recall conditions on Jon Gillies and assigned him back to Stockton of the AHL. Gillies is in his second professional season and has played in 34 games this season for the Heat, posting a 14-14-1 record with a 2.97 GAA and a .909 SV%.

Snapshots: Matthias, Western Playoff Race, Jagr

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The Winnipeg Jets will be without forward Shawn Matthias for the remainder of the season, the team announced Saturday.

The first sign of trouble was on Wednesday, when Matthias missed practice. He was held out of the Jets’ last game with an upper-body injury. Matthias has eight goals and 12 points in 45 games this season, his first in Winnipeg after signing a two-year, $4.25MM contract in free agency. He split last season between Toronto and Colorado.

Detroit’s second round pick in 2006 has played 524 NHL games, scoring 171 points with Florida, Vancouver, Toronto, Colorado, and Winnipeg.

  • With just 11 or 12 games remaining, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector broke down the schedules for the Western Conference teams involved in a tight playoff race. Anaheim, Calgary, and Edmonton are within two points of each other, and will likely finish two-through-four in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have a game in hand on both teams, and play the Canucks tonight. Spector gives Edmonton the advantage in home games, strength of opponent, and ease of the final week of the season. Calgary gets the nod for having back-to-backs and getting tired opponents. Anaheim’s biggest advantage comes during a home-and-home series with the Flames in early April; Calgary hasn’t won in Anaheim since January 2004. The next team in the Pacific, Los Angeles, is four points behind St. Louis for the second wildcard spot. At eight points back, they have a slim chance at catching the next three teams, but do get Edmonton and Calgary three times each.
  • With two assists last night, NHL legend and Panthers winger Jaromir Jagr passed Gordie Howe for most points scored by a player in his 40s, with 269. The 45-year-old told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel that he’s “going to pass [Howe] for most points after 50.” For the record, Howe had 41 points in 1979-80 a 51-year-old in his return to the NHL after six years in the WHA.

West Notes: Jets, Shore, Gibson

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The Jets are likely to be without defenseman Jacob Trouba on Thursday night despite the fact he was able to practice with the team today, suggests Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun.  Trouba missed Monday’s game with an upper body injury (and would have sat out Tuesday had that game not been postponed due to weather); it’s believed the injury was sustained during a fight over the weekend against Calgary in which five stitches were required just above his eye.

Winnipeg may also be without left winger Shawn Matthias who missed practice with an undisclosed injury and is listed as questionable for Thursday.  Left winger Nic Petan would likely take his place although he may be in the lineup regardless of whether or not Matthias is available.  Leading scorer Mark Scheifele (illness) didn’t practice but is expected to suit up against the Islanders.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • Winger Drew Shore had offers from other NHL teams before deciding to join Vancouver for the rest of the season, reports Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Province. GM Jim Benning admitted that with the team as far as they are out of the playoff race, they’re likely to start giving their younger players more playing time which should bode well for Shore among others.  Benning also noted that part of the rationale for signing Shore was that he’d like to avoid calling anyone else up from their minor league affiliate in Utica, who are in a tight race for the final playoff spot in the AHL’s North Division.
  • The Ducks are monitoring goalie John Gibson daily after some of the lingering soreness from his lower body injury resurfaced on Friday, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. There’s no timetable for when he’ll make his next start but head coach Randy Carlyle doesn’t think he’ll need that much time to be ready as soon as he’s cleared to return to practice.  In the meantime, Jonathan Bernier will remain as the starter, a role he has handled fairly well as of late, going 5-2 with a 2.17 GAA and a .933 SV% in his last seven outings.

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