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It was an exciting week in the NHL, as several teams were active in transactions on Tuesday and Wednesday, which was the day of the NHL trade deadline. A handful of big-name players were dealt to different teams, as the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning made the deal with the highest star power. Montreal also stole Thomas Vanek from Garth Snow and the New York Islanders, while Ryan Miller has done well so far for his new squad in the Central Division, as we take a look at the league.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The biggest deal around the trade deadline was a deal that was once rumored to happen and finally came to fruition, as Martin St. Louis joined the New York Rangers while Ryan Callahan was sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Along with Callahan, the Blueshirts also sent a 2014 conditional second-round pick and 2015 first-round pick to the Lightning. In his first three games, St. Louis had an assist and was minus-1 on a line with Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin. On top of adding St. Louis, the Rangers also added Raphael Diaz from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Other transactions from the Rangers were assigning J.T. Miller to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL and Mats Zuccarello returning to the lineup after missing four games with a broken hand.
As for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the biggest news outside of Callahan’s arrival and St. Louis’ departure was Steven Stamkos being named the 10th captain in the franchise’s history while making his return to the ice. Stamkos’ first game as the team’s captain, and first after missing 45 games with a broken right tibia, came against the Buffalo Sabres, where he was minus-1 with five shots on goal in a 3-1 loss. Callahan had an assist and was plus-1 in his first two games with the Lightning. Tampa Bay also made a pair of trades with the Columbus Blue Jackets on deadline day, as their first move was dealing James Livingston for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. The second deal sent Dana Tyrell and Matt Taormina to the Metropolitan Division squad in exchange for Jonathan Marchessault and Dalton Smith. The Bolts also signed former Worcester Shark Yanni Gourde to a two-way contract.
Another big move between Eastern Conference teams was Thomas Vanek leaving the New York Islanders and joining the Montreal Canadiens. The former Buffalo Sabre was shipped to Canada along with a 2014 conditional fifth-round pick, while the Isles landed prospect Sebastien Collberg and a 2014 conditional second-round pick from Montreal. On top of this move, the Canadiens also acquired Devan Dubnyk, who was immediately assigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs, from the Nashville Predators for future considerations. On Tuesday, the Canadiens also added depth to their blue line, as they grabbed Mike Weaver from the Florida Panthers in exchange for 2015 fifth-round pick. Montreal’s blue line took a hit this week, as Josh Gorges has been sidelined indefinitely with a broken hand. On a sad note for the Canadiens, prospect Tim Bozon has been placed in a medically induced coma to help the 19-year-old fight Neisseria meningitidis.
As for the New York Islanders, their only other move this week was shipping Andrew MacDonald to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2014 third-round pick, 2015 second-round pick, and prospect Matt Mangene. New York also recalled forward Mike Halmo and defenseman Matt Donovan from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. If the Vanek trade wasn’t bad enough this week for the Isles, the team also squandered a two-goal third period lead against the Calgary Flames in embarrassing fashion. The Islanders have the worst winning percentage in the NHL when entering the third period with a lead at 45 percent, as they are 9-6-5 in such situations.
Another active Eastern Conference team around the trade deadline was the Washington Capitals. On Tuesday, the Caps acquired prospect Chris Brown, Rostislav Klesla, and a 2015 fourth-round pick from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Martin Erat and John Mitchell. Washington then traded Klesla to the Sabres with Michal Neuvirth in exchange for Jaroslav Halak and a 2015 third-round pick. Dustin Penner also joined the Caps from the Anaheim Ducks for a 2014 fourth-round pick. The big news of the week around the Capitals besides the trades was the damage to their blue line, as Dmitry Orlov was suspended two games for his hit on Brayden Schenn and John Erskine will be sidelined day-to-day with an upper-body injury. After the two physical losses to the Flyers in a home-and-home, Washington was shutout by the Boston Bruins on Thursday before finally snapping their three-game losing streak with a third period comeback against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday. The Caps are also looking forward to introducing their highly-touted first-round pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft Evgeny Kuznetsov, who signed an entry-level contract with the team over the weekend.
Along with the move that added MacDonald to their blue line, the Philadelphia Flyers’ only other move near the trade deadline day was shipping Andrej Meszaros up to Boston for a third-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The pick will become a second-round pick if the Bruins reach the Eastern Conference Finals with Meszaros’ playing two-thirds of the team’s games or if Meszaros re-signs with Boston before the 2014 Draft. If Meszaros signs with Boston after the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the Orange and Black will land an additional 2015 fourth-round pick. The big news on the ice besides their fights with the Caps, and nearly blowing a four-goal lead against Washington on Wednesday, was Claude Giroux becoming a point-per-game player, as he has 64 points in 64 games this season. Giroux also made headlines this week off the ice, as he and Wayne Simmonds took on the Harlem Globetrotters yesterday with the most memorable moment being when Giroux set up an alley-oop to Simmonds with a pass from a hockey stick. In other news, Kimmo Timonen recorded a two-goal game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, while Ray Emery didn’t make the trip to Toronto due to his injury.
As for the team at the top of the Capitals and Flyers’ division, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a few trades this week to add to their offensive depth. On deadline day, the Pens acquired Marcel Goc from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2014 fifth-round pick and a 2015 third-round pick. Pittsburgh also added Lee Stempniak from the Calgary Flames for a third-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. On the ice, the Pens lost to the Sharks 5-3 in San Jose, as Sidney Crosby failed to record a point and went minus-5. Olli Maatta did record his first two-goal game in the loss, while Jeff Zatkoff made 42 saves to let the Pens hang in the game. The squad bounced back the following night, as Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist in a shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
Just behind the Flyers for the final playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets are hoping for a big playoff push late in the season despite dealing a big name at the deadline. Along with their trades with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Blue Jackets dealt Marian Gaborik to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Matt Frattin, a 2014 second-round pick, and a conditional third-round pick. Columbus also improved their blue line by adding Nick Schultz from the Edmonton Oilers for a 2014 fifth-round pick. The team also signed its 2013 first-round pick Marko Dano to an entry-level contract. On the ice, the Blue Jackets were destroyed by the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 on Thursday to snap a three-game winning streak, but responded with a 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Sergei Bobrovsky recorded his third shutout of the season on Saturday, while Artem Anisimov potted his 19th goal of the season. Nikita Nikitin is day-to-day with a head injury.
Five points out of the final playoff spot in the division are the New Jersey Devils, who had a relatively quiet trade deadline. The team’s only trade was acquiring Tuomo Ruutu from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Andrei Loktionov and a conditional third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Ruutu has already had his presence felt by the Devils, as he scored the game-winning goal against the Hurricanes on Saturday. Friday and Saturday featured hectic games for the Devils, as they lost to the Detroit Red Wings 7-4 and beat Carolina 5-4 the following day. Cory Schneider had a rough Friday, as he allowed seven goals against on 33 shots in the loss to Detroit, while Adam Henrique had a memorable weekend with a pair of two-goal games. In maybe the biggest news of the week surrounding the squad, New Jersey was handed back their first-round pick in this year’s draft after the league let them off the hook for their punishment in relation to Ilya Kovalchuk’s questionable contract. The Devils will own the 30th overall pick in this year’s draft regardless of where they finish in the standings and they cannot trade the pick.
As for the team the Devils grabbed Ruutu from, the Carolina Hurricanes sit eight points out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Since the dealing of Ruutu and addition of Loktionov was the team’s only deal, GM Jim Rutherford decided to not really buy or sell at the trade deadline. As for other news related to the club, both Justin Faulk and John Michael-Liles are day-to-day with upper-body injuries. As a call-up due to the injuries, Ryan Murphy was minus-1 in a pair of games with Carolina this week. Jordan Staal managed to post a pair of assists in the team’s 5-4 loss to the Devils on Saturday.
At the top of the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins improved their defensive depth at the trade deadline, as seen in their lone trade involving the Flyers. On top of adding Meszaros, the Bruins also claimed Corey Potter off of waivers from the Oilers. Boston was also trying to add Alex Edler from the Vancouver Canucks, but plans fell through between Mike Gillis and Peter Chiarelli. The additions of Meszaros and Potter will help the club immediately, as blue liner Adam McQuaid is likely out two-to-three weeks with a lower-body injury. On the ice, Meszaros scored a goal and was plus-1 in his first game with Boston against the Florida Panthers, while Corey Potter has yet to make his debut with the Bruins. Patrice Bergeron recorded a three-point game against Florida, while Tuukka Rask posted his league-leading sixth shutout of the season against the Caps on Thursday.
Sitting third in the Atlantic Division are the Toronto Maple Leafs, who didn’t make a single trade on Tuesday or Wednesday. The team did recall Frazer McLaren this weekend, after they waived the forward earlier in the week, and recalled both Carter Ashton and Peter Holland from the Toronto Marlies. These transactions were made due to the fact David Clarkson is day-to-day with a leg injury and Colton Orr is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. On the ice, Tyler Bozak led the Maple Leafs to a 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers on Wednesday thanks to converting on a penalty shot in regulation and potting the game-winner. Joffrey Lupul had a two-point game against his former team on Saturday, as he scored the overtime-winner against the Flyers in Toronto. Troy Bodie recorded a pair of helpers in the win against Philly.
Just outside the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference are the Detroit Red Wings, who made one notable move at the trade deadline. It was their only move, but the Red Wings landed David Legwand from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Patrick Eaves, prospect Calle Jarnkrok, and a third-round pick in this year’s draft that becomes a second-round pick if Detroit makes the postseason. Legwand had a huge game for Detroit in their 7-4 win over the Devils on Friday, as he recorded a goal and two assists. It isn’t all positive out of Detroit though, as Pavel Datsyuk is still out for a few weeks with a sore right knee, Darren Helm is sidelined indefinitely with migraines and vision problems, and goaltender Jonas Gustavsson is day-to-day with a groin injury. Johan Franzen and Gustav Nyquist also had huge games against the Devils along with Legwand, as Franzen had a pair of goals and a pair of assists, while Nyquist had one goal and three helpers. The team also lifted former defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom’s number 5 to the rafters in a pre-game ceremony on Thursday night.
Still in the hunt for a wild card spot are the Ottawa Senators, who made a few deals near the trade deadline including one that brought an underrated forward from Edmonton to the Eastern Conference. After sending Jeff Costello to the Canucks for Patrick Mullen and dealing Andre Petersson to the Ducks for Alex Grant, the Sens landed Ales Hemsky from the Oilers in exchange for a 2014 fifth-round pick and 2015 third-round pick. Hemsky had three assists in the Senators win over the Jets on Saturday, while Jason Spezza also had three helpers and Milan Michalek had one goal and two assists in the victory. On the blue line, the team signed Chris Phillips to a two-year contract extension while loaning Joe Corvo to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The team also waived Cory Conacher, who was picked up by the Buffalo Sabres. Ironically, Bobby Ryan dropped the gloves with Kris Russell earlier in the week during Ottawa’s loss to the Flames, as the forward that was left off Team U.S.A. for the Olympics because he is “not intense” fought in front of Brian Burke.
Out of the playoff picture already, the Florida Panthers made several moves near the trade deadline. After acquiring Mark Mancari and Brandon Pirri last week, Dale Tallon went out and grabbed Roberto Luongo from the Canucks. Steven Anthony also joined the Cats from Vancouver, while Shawn Matthias and Jacob Markstrom went to the Canucks in the deal. Although it looked as though Luongo and Tim Thomas were going to share the same crease, the former Boston Bruin was dealt to the Dallas Stars for Dan Ellis on deadline day. On top of the trades, the Panthers also waived Scott Gomez and Scott Clemmensen, as Clemmensen was then assigned to the San Antonio Rampage this week along with Drew Shore. As for Anthony, he has been assigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. The team also signed Brad Boyes to a two-year contract extension. On the ice, prospect Vincent Trocheck made his NHL debut and went minus-2 overall without recording a point in his first two games with Florida. Luongo recorded a shutout against the Sabres in his return to the Panthers on Friday, while Jimmy Hayes had two goals in the Panthers’ loss to the Bruins yesterday.
Although they are last in the standings across the entire NHL, the future is bright for the Buffalo Sabres, who made a few moves at the deadline. After picking up a first-round pick and a third-round pick in upcoming drafts from the St. Louis Blues in the deal involving Ryan Miller, Buffalo added second-round picks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and the 2016 NHL Entry Draft from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick. The Sabres also acquired prospects Hudson Fasching and Nicolas Deslauriers from the Kings for Brayden McNabb, Jonathan Parker, and a pair of second-round picks. Shortly after acquiring Klesla from the Capitals, the blue liner decided to retire, as he was likely to be assigned to the AHL after he had been traded for a second time in a span of two days. On the ice, Neuvirth made 42 saves in his debut with the Sabres, but suffered the loss on Friday against the Panthers. Chris Stewart, who was added to the roster in the Miller deal, has yet to record a point despite playing in a pair of games already for Buffalo. Possibly the biggest name they added to the team this week, Conacher, had an assist last night in his first game as a Sabre in the team’s 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
CENTRAL DIVISION
Leading the NHL with 94 points, the St. Louis Blues have a four-point advantage over the Blackhawks in the standings despite playing one less game. Their lone trade near the deadline has worked out well so far, as Miller and Ott have paid dividends for the Cup contenders. Miller is 4-0-0 with the Blues and has only allowed six goals against, as he has a .933 save percentage and a 1.50 GAA with the club. Ott has recorded an assist and dropped the gloves last night to make his presence felt in his first five games with St. Louis. As for other Blues this week, Ian Cole recorded a two-point game in the team’s win over the Preds on Thursday, while T.J. Oshie had a goal in regulation and a shootout goal against the Minnesota Wild yesterday in the Blues’ 3-2 win. One negative note for the Blues is the injury to Vladimir Sobotka, who has been placed on injured reserve with a left leg injury.
The Chicago Blackhawks only made one trade deadline deal, as they acquired both Mathieu Brisebois and David Rundblad from the Coyotes in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Rundblad made his Blackhawks’ debut yesterday, has he finished without a point in 7:38 of work. Chicago also signed Brandon Bollig to a three-year extension, as he will earn $1.25 million over the next three seasons. On top of the team winning three of their last four, the Blackhawks can be happy that Marian Hossa is on track to return when expected, as he was slated to miss two-to-three weeks after he suffered an upper-body injury in the first period of the team’s 5-1 win over the Penguins on March 1st during a Stadium Series game.
Just like the team they are likely to face in the opening round of the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche didn’t make several moves at the trade deadline, but they did add depth to their goaltending. In their lone deal of the week, the Avs added Reto Berra from the Flames in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Due to visa issues, Berra has yet to make his debut with Colorado. The Avalanche also signed Cody Corbett to a three-year entry-level contract. On the ice, Nathan MacKinnon broke the record for longest point streak by an 18-year-old, which was held by Wayne Gretzky, as his assist on Andre Benoit’s goal in overtime against the Red Wings on Thursday extended his point streak to 13 games. As four Benoit, the winner on Thursday was his seventh goal in the NHL, but it marked his fourth game-winning goal.
The teams that are fourth and fifth in the Central Division, and are also the two wild card teams in the Western Conference, had a wild weekend, as the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars are hoping to stay in the playoff hunt. On Saturday, Wild forward Erik Haula ran into Kari Lehtonen sending the goalie’s mask flying before the netminder ultimately conked his head into the crossbar causing a huge melee. This came minutes after Matt Cooke provided a knee-to-knee hit on Stars’ rookie Valeri Nichushkin. Stars’ head coach Lindy Ruff said of the situation that, “(Haula) should be suspended. A fourth-liner kicks out our goaltender.” On top of the ruckus with the Stars, and adding Moulson and McCormick from the Sabres, Minnesota also acquired Ilya Bryzgalov from the Oilers for a 2014 fourth-round pick. The move came about due to the fact Niklas Backstrom is out for the rest of the season with a strained abdominal muscle. Moulson had a goal and an assist in his first two games with Minnesota, while McCormick failed to record a point. Bryzgalov recorded a shootout loss last night against the Blues in his first game with the Wild after he allowed two goals within the first three shots he saw. The Wild also signed Kurtis Gabriel and Zack Mitchell to three-year entry-level contracts this week, while waiving Jake Dowell.
As for the Dallas Stars, Cristopher Nilstrop has been called up from the Texas Stars due to the possible time Lehtonen may miss from the collision on Saturday. On the ice, the team beat the Sabres on Monday, as the team Ruff used to coach put up a valiant effort before losing 3-2. Dallas also dealt Stephane Robidas to Anaheim for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Tyler Seguin had a week to remember, as he has recorded back-to-back multi-point games in the team’s last pair of contests for a total of eight points. Before all the madness with Cooke’s knee-to-knee hit and Haula wrecking Lehtonen, the Stars raised Mike Modano’s number 9 into the rafters on Saturday.
Near the bottom of the division, the Winnipeg Jets looked to have a chance to grab a wild card spot, but it looks as though hopes of the postseason are dwindling now for Paul Maurice’s club. After not making a trade before the deadline, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff decided to ink d-man Mark Stuart to a four-year contract extension. The team is dealing with several injuries at the moment including center Mark Scheifele being sidelined six-to-eight weeks with a sprained MCL. Chris Thorburn is also out day-to-day with a facial injury and James Wright is on injured reserve with a sprained ankle. Due to the injuries, forward John Albert has been recalled from the St. John’s IceCaps. In the midst of a three-game losing streak and only being able to grab one point in that span, the Jets get set to take on the Avs tonight.
Last in the Central Division, the Nashville Predators were sellers at the deadline as seen with the departures of Legwand and Dubnyk. One positive for the Predators this week was the return of goaltender Pekka Rinne, who missed 51 games due to a hip infection and hip surgery. Rinne is 0-3-0 so far in his return, but he has only allowed six goals against and suffered losses to the Penguins, Blues, and Blue Jackets. The Preds take on the Senators tonight and the Sabres tomorrow before a weekend that features matchups against the Blackhawks and Blues.
PACIFIC DIVISION
Sitting just one point behind the Blues for the best record in the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks have a four-point edge over the Sharks for the top spot in the division. Although they didn’t make any significant trades, the Ducks were involved in a few deals this week. In addition to the aforementioned deals that featured Penner, Robidas, and Petersson, Anaheim also collected a fourth-round pick in 2014 and a third-round pick in 2015 for Viktor Fasth. On top of all the trades, the Ducks also recalled Rickard Rakell from the Norfolk Admirals, who had a shot on goal in 8:45 TOI in his lone game this week against the Penguins. The Ducks lost to the Penguins on Friday night despite the fact Corey Perry recorded a two-goal game. Anaheim will also have to deal with an arm injury to Mathieu Perreault that has put the forward on injured reserve.
The San Jose Sharks didn’t make a single trade around the deadline, but they did make a transaction with signing left winger Barclay Goodrow to a three-year entry-level contract. One thing the Sharks will need to keep an eye on is the health of Tomas Hertl and Brad Stuart down the stretch. Hertl started skating just after the Olympic break ended, but he has yet to take part in a game and hasn’t played since December 19th. As for Stuart, he has yet to play since the NHL has returned to action after the Olympic break, as he was at first anticipated to only miss the Sharks’ three-game road trip following the break with an upper-body injury. On the ice, the Sharks had a pair of monstrous wins with a 5-3 decision over the Pens and a 4-0 blanking of the Canadiens. Joe Pavelski had three assists against Pittsburgh, while Brent Burns had two goals and Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist. Logan Couture had a goal and two helpers against Montreal, while Antti Niemi recorded his third shutout of the year.
The Los Angeles Kings have a firm hold on the final spot in the Pacific Division with 80 points in 65 games. It looks as though GM Dean Lombardi won his pair of deadline deals, as he added Marian Gaborik, Brayden McNabb, Jonathan Parker, and a pair of second-round picks to the Kings’ organization. Gaborik took part in a pair of games with the Kings, but has yet to record a point for L.A. The Kings own the league’s longest win streak at the moment, as they have won all six of their games after the Olympic break and won their last tilt before the games in Sochi. Part of their recent success is due to the play of Jonathan Quick, who is 5-0-0 since the Olympic break with a save percentage of .956 and has posted a shutout while allowing just five goals against. Along with the trades and winning streak, the Kings also assigned forward Linden Vey to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL and signed goaltender Patrik Bartosak to a three-year entry-level contract.
Just three points out of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Coyotes are hoping the pair of moves they made at the deadline will help them reach the postseason. The biggest name to join the organization in the deals, Erat, failed to record a point in his first two games with the club this week. Due to injuries to Martin Hanzal and David Schlemko, Andy Miele and Brandon Gormley have been recalled from the Portland Pirates. Despite losing to the Caps on Saturday, Brandon McMillan was able to score his first goal with the Coyotes, which turned out to also be his first goal since April of 2011. Phoenix did look good earlier in the week, as Radim Vrbata posted a two-goal game against the Montreal Canadiens in the Coyotes’ 5-2 win on Thursday.
Although they are only one point behind the Coyotes in the standings, the rest of the season and the near future for the Vancouver Canucks doesn’t look positive. The team went from having too much talent in net, with Schneider and Luongo, to having far less talent in net with the departure of Luongo this week. On top of trading him, Ryan Kesler tweeted about Luongo saying “Told you so,” after Mike Gillis decided to hang on to the two-way forward after apparently requesting a trade. Luongo also tweeted during the Canucks’ brutal loss to the Stars on Thursday. The loss was so bad to the Stars on Thursday that Kevin Bieksa stated afterwards, “If this isn’t rock bottom, I don’t know what is.” Also stemming from the loss to the Stars was a three-game suspension to Zack Kassian, who still has two games to serve after his vicious hit on Brenden Dillon. On the injury front, Daniel Sedin has a strained left hamstring and has been placed on injured reserve, while Brad Richardson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. One bright spot for Vancouver, who is 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, was when Darren Archibald potted his first NHL goal in the team’s win over the Flames on Saturday.
Far out of playoff position, the Calgary Flames made a few moves at the deadline while hanging on to Mike Cammalleri. Thanks to a slew of injuries, several rookies made their way to the Flames’ roster this week. The injuries to the Flames include: Kevin Westgarth being day-to-day with a head injury, David Jones being sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, Jiri Hudler being day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and Dennis Wideman being day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The injuries led way to the NHL debuts of Corban Knight, Tyler Wotherspoon, and Ben Hanowski. Other firsts for the club included Markus Granlund’s first NHL goal and Joni Ortio’s first NHL win, both of which came against the Sens on Wednesday. On a sad note for the Flames, Matt Stajan is dealing with the passing of Emerson Stajan, his son who passed away following childbirth last Monday.
In last place in the Pacific Division, the Edmonton Oilers ultimately completed a respectable goaltending tandem in their crease with the addition of Fasth and grabbed a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. The team also signed Ben Scrivens to a two-year contract extension. With the departure of Schultz to Columbus and Potter being picked up off of waivers by the Bruins, the Oilers called up Oscar Klefbom and Philip Larsen from Oklahoma City after Anton Belov was placed on injured reserve with an oblique injury. The team has also recalled Anton Lander from the Barons. Things might get worse for the Oilers over the next week, as they endure a four-game road trip against the Wild, Blues, Red Wings, and Hurricanes.
