Welcome to March 1st everyone!
Today is a big day…it’s NHL Trade Deadline Day, and also, rosters need to be set for AHL postseason. So to keep everyone up to speed, here is what New Jersey has done over the last couple of days:
Monday: Two transactions:
Blake Coleman was given his second recall of the season after Pavel Zacha was placed on IR. He appeared in the Devils 4-3 OT loss to Montreal at The Rock.
Also, it was announced that Kevin Rooney, who has been with Albany all season on an AHL deal, was signed to a NHL entry level deal for the remainder of this season. A well deserved reward for the rookie, who has been the only A-Devil to appear in every single game so far this season.
Wednesday:
-Rooney was recalled and is expected to make his NHL debut tomorrow night in Washington.
-Out of the three trades New Jersey made at the deadline, only one affected Albany: Reece Scarlett, who was the longest tenured current A-Devil, was dealt to Florida for forward Shane Harper. In 39 games with the Thunderbirds, Harper has 19 points (7 G, 12 A). He made his NHL debut with the Panthers on October 13th against New Jersey, and would appear in 14 games, scoring twice. Local fans may remember Harper from the Adirondack Phantoms, where he spent three-plus seasons.
Also this afternoon: Coleman, Rooney, Joe Blandisi, Steve Santini, and Miles Wood were all papered to Albany then recalled to New Jersey, making them eligible to return to the AHL anytime through the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Seth Helgeson, who cleared waivers over the weekend, was officially reassigned with the addition of Dalton Prout from Columbus (for Kyle Quincey).
Now let’s take a look at what’s going on around the North Division:
-No changes for Utica despite the mumps hitting the Canucks hard.
-Binghamton lost defenseman Michael Kostka, who was dealt to Calgary as part of the Curtis Lazar-Jyrki Jokipakka deal.
-Rochester received former Union College defenseman Mat Bodie from the Rangers for forward Dan Catenacci on Tuesday.
-St. John’s lost forward Sven Andrighetto, who was dealt to Colorado for forward Andreas Martinsen.
-Syracuse ended up the big winners in the division thanks to a pair of deals:
In the Brian Boyle deal with Toronto, the Crunch picked up Marlies forward Byron Froese and his 22 goals. In a sort of related move, former River Rat/A-Devil Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was loaned to the Marlies.
Tampa Bay and Florida swapped AHL goaltenders: Adam Wilcox is off to Springfield, while former A-Devil Mike McKenna will join Syracuse.
-Toronto also picked up former A-Devil Mike Sislo in a loan deal with San Antonio, sending Colin Smith to the Rampage.
The NHL deadline may have passed, but the AHL has until March 8th at 3 PM to finish up any intraleague trades or loans. So…there may be more to come, stay tuned.
Thoughts Inside The Box 