AHL ON THE ROAD: NHL trades sending waves across The A
When it comes to swinging trades, NHL general managers often are handcuffed by the salary cap and an assortment of no-trade and no-move clauses. But without those factors far less significant, executives can still wheel and deal talent, and they have been busy lately.
Since December 28th, NHL front offices have pulled off 13 trades involving AHL players. Eleven of those trades exchanged players playing on NHL contracts, plus two more AHL-contract deals – the San Antonio Rampage sending forward Jared Thomas to the San Diego Gulls, and veteran forward Tye McGinn moving from the Manitoba Moose to the Chicago Wolves – compose that list.
(Characterizing AHL-related swaps more loosely would bring the total to 14. Springfield Thunderbirds defenseman Chris Wideman arrived in the Florida Panthers organization via a December 30th trade from the Edmonton Oilers, played one game for Florida, and was demoted to the Thunderbirds on January 7th.)
BUSY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Five trades have involved the Anaheim Ducks and their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. They have pulled off three of those deals this week as Anaheim management desperately attempts to halt a month-long slump that has put the Ducks dressing room on notice.
Anaheim shipped San Diego defenseman Luke Schenn to the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Michael Del Zotto (the Canucks subsequently assigned the 29-year-old Schenn to the Utica Comets).
Anaheim also brought Iowa Wild forward Justin Kloos in a move for Ducks forward Pontus Åberg. For the 25-year-old Kloos, going to Anaheim could be his NHL break. At 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, he can bring energy and tenacity to the Anaheim line-up after going 12-18-30 in 34 games for Iowa this season. San Diego also lost forward Joseph Blandisi, who went eastward to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization for forward Derek Grant. Like Kloos, a new home means a fresh opportunity for Blandisi, who remains with Pittsburgh. The 24-year-old put up 8-15-23 over 27 contests for San Diego. Nine of those points (3-6-9) came in his final eight games for the Gulls.
Just in case the Anaheim roster has not received the message, the Ducks also recalled San Diego rookie forward Troy Terry, whose 37 points (16-21-37) tie him with Sam Carrick for the team lead as well as locating him atop the AHL rookie board. Fellow first-year forward Max Jones and defenseman Andrej Sustr joined Terry on the move up the I-5 to Anaheim.
Back on January 3rd, Anaheim moved Gulls veteran netminder Jared Coreau to the St. Louis Blues organization. Kevin Boyle had emerged as the number-one option for San Diego and can team with veteran Jeff Glass, who landed in San Diego in an AHL transaction with the Toronto Marlies on December 11th. A week before the Coreau deal, San Diego forward Giovanni Fiore went to the Tucson Roadrunners for defenseman Trevor Murphy thanks to a Ducks-Arizona Coyotes trade.
Anaheim has also sent some veteran talent back to San Diego. After 21 games with the Ducks, Anaheim assigned top-line AHL forward Ben Street to San Diego on January 7th. Street, 31, has chipped in three assists in his first five outings for the Gulls. Coming with Street to San Diego was experience for the blue line in Korbinian Holzer. Offseason wrist surgery cost the 30-year-old the season’s first half, but he is 2-1-3 through five AHL games. Anaheim forward Patrick Eaves came to San Diego on a conditioning assignment as well. Ducks forward Kiefer Sherwood, 23, is back in San Diego after a 46-game stint in Anaheim. Defenseman Jake Dotchin has also been on the Anaheim-San Diego shuttle this month.
Got all of that?
FLYING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
Through it all, the Ducks and Gulls have found themselves heading in very different directions. Anaheim has dropped 12 consecutive games (0-8-4), a slide dating to December 18th. San Diego, meanwhile, has run off a 15-game point streak (12-0-1-2), the AHL’s longest such streak this season, their latest victory coming Wednesday night when they knocked off the visiting Texas Stars, 2-1. Oddly enough, the Ducks had gone 10-2-0 between November 21st and December 17th while San Diego lost seven of nine contests in a slide spanning November 21st through December 8th.
Gulls forward Corey Tropp returned to the line-up Wednesday night against Texas and banged in a power-play goal. Tropp is 9-12-21 in 26 games for the Gulls this season and brings a feisty presence for chippy Pacific Division play (San Diego ranks second in the AHL in penalty minutes per game, just ahead of the arch-rival Ontario Reign).
Ripping through the Western Conference for the past month, the Gulls moved past Tucson into second place in the Pacific Division after Wednesday’s win and to within three points of the first-place San Jose Barracuda. When the Gulls woke up on December 17th, San Jose held a 15-point division lead on them. On that Monday morning in San Diego, the Gulls occupied last place in the AHL at 21 points, owned the league’s fifth-worst point percentage (.457), and also trailed Tucson by 12 points.
NOT ALONE
San Diego’s line-up has not been alone in seeing turnover recently, either.
Three January trades have involved the Belleville Senators, who find themselves in a win-one-lose-one rut keeping them stuck last in the North Division. After a 4-2 loss at the Laval Rocket on Wednesday evening, Belleville sits five points below the playoff line. That followed taking a split from a two-game road series with a formidable foe in the Grand Rapids Griffins last weekend.
Since January 2nd, forwards Darren Archibald (Utica) and Morgan Klimchuk (Marlies) have found their way to Belleville via NHL trades. The Klimchuk deal sent Gabriel Gagné out of Belleville and to the Marlies via the Toronto Maple Leafs. The same day that Gagné left, Belleville leading scorer Paul Carey went to the Boston Bruins, bringing needed help to the blue line in Providence Bruins veteran Cody Goloubef.
Do not be surprised to see more action from Ottawa management, especially with Belleville in a weak North Division bottom half, and a proven winner in head coach Troy Mann behind the bench in Belleville. With Ottawa one point out of last place in the entire NHL and the February 25th NHL trade deadline approaching, the NHL roster is in for still more changes. Belleville needs help, another playoff miss for an Ottawa AHL affiliate would be the fifth in a row, and the organization could use some sunshine where it can find it.
NET GAINS
With Thatcher Demko in Vancouver, Richard Bachman injured, and Mike McKenna lost on waivers before ever arriving, Utica found some goaltending experience this week. The Comets signed 37-year-old Michael Leighton to a professional tryout, a move that will team him with Ivan Kulbakov. Leighton struggled in a three-game run with Ontario (1-1-0 | 4.46 | .859) earlier in the season, but the NHL-AHL goaltending market at present is a thin one, and the Comets needed help for the inexperienced Kulbakov (9-7-3 | 3.63 | .889). Fifteen years younger than his new partner, Kulbakov has made six consecutive starts for the Comets since January 4th, allowing four or more goals in three of those turns.
Some crease stability should be on the way for the Marlies. Leafs goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Garret Sparks are healthy again, freeing up Michael Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo for action with the Marlies. Desperate for goaltending help all season, the Leafs brought Hutchinson to Toronto from Springfield on December 29th. But injuries for Andersen and Sparks quickly pressed Hutchinson into NHL duty at the start of the month, leaving the Marlies again thin in net. Going back to New Year’s Eve, Hutchinson’s only game with the Marlies, head coach Sheldon Keefe has started four different goaltenders since the December break.
The defending Calder Cup champion Marlies are holding down the North Division’s fourth slot, only five points behind the first-place Rochester Americans. Yet they also have a one-point edge on that spot with a quartet of clubs within five points of them. They open a crucial two-game road series this weekend against the AHL-leading Charlotte Checkers.
JUST IN TIME
As for Jared Coreau, his San Antonio arrival has panned out well. Jordan Binnington remains in St. Louis, and an injury has kept Ville Husso out of action since December 27th. Coreau, who won a Calder Cup with Grand Rapids in 2017, brought an answer in net for the Rampage. He has gone 4-1-0 | 2.43 | .916 in five appearances for San Antonio.
The Rampage have pushed aside a disastrous 3-12-0-0 start, taking wins in 18 of their next 25 games (18-6-1-0). They have an 11-game home win streak; after dropping five of their first seven dates at AT&T Center, they have reached a league-leading 17 home wins. Twenty-six saves from Coreau wrapped up their four-game homestand with a 2-1 decision against a fellow Central Division foe, the Rockford IceHogs. That victory has pushed San Antonio to within four points of fourth-place Texas. They have back-to-back weekend match-ups with the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg, move on to visit the Milwaukee Admirals, come home for three home contests, and then face a stretch of 10 consecutive road games in a 19-day span in February.
