AHL Trade Deadline 2019
INSIDE AHL HOCKEY HQ -- Everyone knows about the NHL's trade deadline day. That was last Monday, of course. But, teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) looking for that extra push down the stretch have until Monday, March 4th at 3 p.m. ET to negotiate and execute trades at the AHL level.
What this means is that NHL teams can exchange NHL-contracted players in the minors with other teams for the remainder of the season, though the team receiving a player in advance of Monday's AHL trade deadline are unable to be called up to the NHL. The original team still retains the players' NHL rights.
An example of this came on Thursday when the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes completed a minor league trade, sending goaltender Dustin Tokarski from the Rangers' AHL affiliate Hartford to the Hurricanes' affiliate in Charlotte. In exchange, the Hurricanes sent defenseman Josh Wesley to the Rangers where he was assigned to Hartford.
Understanding the AHL Trade Deadline
As the AHL enters the stretch run portion of the regular season, teams around the league find themselves in one of three positions - firmly in the postseason picture, fighting for postseason contention or long since out of realistic playoff contention.
What to watch for as the AHL deadline approaches is teams pushing for the postseason in need of some depth for the stretch run, and teams out of contention looking to open up some roster spots for younger players to play larger roles and get extra ice time before the early summer.
The "Sellers"
Teams firmly out of realistic postseason contention: Hartford, Binghamton, Laval, San Antonio, Stockton and Ontario
Keep an eye on these teams to potentially unload a player prior to Monday's deadline.
Latest AHL Trade Buzz
Starting in Lehigh Valley, a team source indicated that it wouldn't be out of the question for the Phantoms to be active prior to Monday's deadline. The source said adding help on the back end should be a priority.
In Syracuse, the Crunch have had three goalies on the AHL roster and the whole situation seems strange. Head coach Ben Groulx declined to comment on whether or not they are actively shopping one of their goaltenders - Connor Ingram, Eddie Pasquale and Martin Ouellette.
Ingram has been a healthy scratch this week despite having six shutouts this season. Is it possible they're looking to move Pasquale or Ouellette and thus that's why they are showcasing their abilities this weekend? Those in Syracuse say the team is also looking to add depth on defense with the likelihood that their NHL affiliate Tampa Bay will be in an extended Stanley Cup Playoffs run.
Recent AHL Trades
Thursday, February 28th
Hartford trades goalie Dustin Tokarski to Charlotte in exchange for defenseman Josh Wesley.
Lehigh Valley trades forward Alex Krushelnyski to Binghamton in exchange for future considerations.
