Friday, January 28, 2011

Pool Players Demoted During the Break

During the All-Star break, teams will get a chance to give some of their younger players on two-way contracts and AHL eligibility to keep playing and develop, while the big club is on hiatus for a few days. There should be no surprises as to who has gone down from the sheet pool, but I thought I would quickly outline them.

Dan Sexton of the Ducks was one of a few players that has gone down for the weekend, but his return to the big club may be in question, with the impending return of Ryan Getzlaf, near the end of Week Eighteen.  Sexton has been up and down all year, so he would be back up on the first sign of injury, no doubt.

Since he isn't participating in any of the rookie activities during All-Star weekend, the Hurricanes have sent Zach Boychuk down to Charlotte for the weekend. I have no doubt that he'll be back up with the big club when the weekend ends. Boychuk has started to really find a place with his parent NHL club.

In what could be both a weekend to develop and a rehab assignment, Nick Palmieri has been sent down to Albany for the weekend from New Jersey. The Devils rookie has been suffering from an upper-body injury in the last week, so if he is ready to get back on the ice, there is no better place to find his legs than in the minors.

The Rangers have decided to give Michael Del Zotto some extra time down in Connecticut with their farm team, as they haven't been completely happy with his play this season. Del Zotto was recalled from the AHL not long before the break and obviously they feel like he doesn't quite deserve a break, joining the minor-league club for the time being.

Finally, the Sharks have sent down a few of their minor-league eligible players for the weekend, including Benn Ferriero, who has been up with the Sharks for the better part of the season. This should keep the youngster's legs fresh for the start of the post-All-Star schedule, which should be a grinding one for the Sharks, since they are in the thick of the battle for a playoff spot in the West.

Link to the Injury/News Page

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