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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they have assigned OHL prospect Luca Pinelli to the AHL, where he will join the Cleveland Monsters.

Pinelli, 19, has spent the last four seasons in the OHL with the Ottawa 67's. Now that his junior career has come to an end, he will transition to the AHL.

In 246 games with the 67's, he recorded 128 goals and 124 assists for 252 points, along with 209 penalty minutes, 45 power-play goals, 838 shots on goal, and a cumulative +26 plus/minus rating.

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He has the potential to develop into a strong middle-six forward for the Blue Jackets in the future. His NHL debut could come as early as next season if he impresses at training camp and earns a roster spot.

Pinelli is known for his ability to get under his opponents' skin. Once he senses he has struck a nerve, he keeps pushing until he draws a penalty. That agitator style is exactly the kind of presence the Blue Jackets could use in the years ahead.

Blue Jackets Halt Six Game Skid; Roy and His Players Have Strong Words For The Officials Adam Fantilli(22), Boone Jenner(2-SHG), and Kirill Marchenko(26) scored the goals for Columbus, and Elvis Merzļikins made 30 saves, including all three Islanders shootout attempts, to beat New York on Long Island in comeback fashion. 

The Buffalo Sabres return home after splitting a four-game road swing with a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets to take on some familiar faces, as former Sabres Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and Linus Ullmark and the Ottawa Senators visit Key Bank Center on Tuesday.

Even though his name was frequently mentioned in trade rumors all season, the four-player deal on deadline day that brought center Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Sabres still came as a bit of a surprise to Cozens, who was in his fifth season in Buffalo.

"My name was out there for a while, and I thought a lot of it was just kind of talk, rumors and stuff. I never really thought it would actually happen, so when I found out that it was real, it still did kind of come as a shock," Cozens said on Tuesday morning. “I wanted to be here. I committed to being here. I wanted to be part of the solution. It was sad that it didn't work out."

After a career-high 31 goals in 2023, the 24-year-old center struggled to recapture his offensive chops in Buffalo, dropping to 18 goals last season and 11 goals in 61 games this year, but thus far his scoring touch has bounced back with the Sens, with seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in eight games. Gilbert, who played 25 games for his hometown team before being dealt, has played only once since the trade and is not expected to be in the lineup for Ottawa.

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The Sens are in a good position for making the playoffs for the first time since 2017, as they hold the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with 79 points, four points up on Montreal, and five points ahead of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Ullmark, who was acquired in a trade from Boston last summer, has bounced back from four straight losses after returning from injury, going 8-2-1 in his last 11 starts.

Head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update on Jordan Greenway, who did not return after being injured in the first period on Sunday. Ruff said it was a day-to-day situation but that it was not as a result of a blocked shot. After a 33-shot victory over the Jets, James Reimer was in the starter’s net for the morning skate on Tuesday, but Ruff would not confirm his starting goalie.

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For most of the last four decades, the Philadelphia Flyers have been the poster child for mediocre-to-poor goaltending.

This year is no exception.

In their first full season without goalie Carter Hart since 2018-19, the Flyers are again near the bottom of the standings and again getting mostly subpar goaltending. Hart, who left the team about 14 months ago, is awaiting trial next month for an alleged sexual assault in 2018, and his lawyers say he will plead not guilty. The Flyers did not give Hart a qualifying offer last summer, and he became a UFA.

Samuel Ersson, 25, and Ivan Fedotov, 28, have had some spurts of impressive play, but for the most part, they and their defense have contributed to another disappointing season. The Flyers (28-35-9) will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season, matching a franchise record for futility.

To point fingers solely at the goaltending and defense would be unfair.  The offense has been awful: 25th out of 32 teams in goals scored (2.71 per game) and 30th on the power play (13.8-percent success rate).

The goaltending has been even worse. Flyers goalies are last in the NHL in save percentage (.880) and 28th in goals against (3.39 per game).

'Heartbeat' Of The Team

Flyers coach John Tortorella wasn’t using hyperbole when he said goaltenders are the “heartbeat” of a team’s success.

“It’s the water in Philly or something happens that everything gets screwed up,” Tortorella said earlier this season. “No one expected Carter leaving and forcing 'Ers' into this situation. Then it’s just a domino effect with these other guys… I’m not sure where it all goes, but it is what it is. We have to deal with it.”

So what in the name of Bernard Marcel Parent is the reason the Flyers have been a goalie graveyard for so long?

For every Bernie Parent, Pelle Lindbergh (whose career was cut short by his tragic death) or Ron Hextall, there were dozens of flops. And when they did find a goalie with elite potential – hello, Sergei Bobrovsky – they traded him in arguably the worst deal in franchise history.

The goalie carousel looked like it had finally stopped when Hart arrived in 2018-19. He brought stability and confidence to the team. As a rookie, he equalled an NHL record for most consecutive wins (eight) while under 21. He had a 2.83 GAA and .917 save percentage that season. In his first six years, he was mostly solid despite having a weak team in front of him.

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The Issue Begins

When Hart left the team midway through last season – he was 25 at the time – goaltending became an issue for the Flyers.

Ersson, thrust into the No. 1 goalie spot, played gallantly in 2023-24 before being worn down by his extensive use. This year, he has been extremely inconsistent (3.00 GAA, .886 save percentage), looking more like a No. 2 goaltender than a reliable No. 1.

Fedotov, a 6-foot-7, 214-pounder, has been given a chance to show his Olympic success – he led Russia to a silver medal in 2022 – and strong KHL play would translate to the NHL. He hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunity, however. Witness his 3.21 GAA and .877 save percentage in 24 games this season.

So the Flyers’ rebuild has taken a significant step backward.

Oh, there are some promising goaltender prospects in the system, but they aren’t ready, and the fans are getting restless. That might cause GM Danny Briere to add a veteran goaltender in free agency, someone who can steady the ship as the team tries to become relevant.

Jake Allen, Frederik Andersen, Anton Forsberg, Ilya Samsonov, David Rittich, and Matt Murray are some of the veterans that are expected to be UFAs this summer.

Maybe Briere goes that route. Or maybe he stays with his unproven goaltenders and tries to spend money on free-agent centers, such as Sam Bennett or Ryan Donato, who also plays wing.

Whatever the Flyers do, they must soon find a goaltender – at some point – who is capable of avoiding the long losing streaks that have plagued them during their playoff-drought years.

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