The Arizona Coyotes announced on Sunday that they had recalled forward Christian Thomas from their AHL affiliate in Springfield.
Arizona Coyotes general manager Don Maloney announced on Sunday that the team had recalled recently acquired forward Christian Thomas from the Springfield Falcons.
Christian Thomas was acquired earlier this season in exchange for Lucas Lessio from the Montreal Canadiens.
The Coyotes provided a press release:
"The 23-year-old Thomas has registered 3-4-7 in 15 games with Springfield and has also collected 7-7-14 in 18 games with the St. John’s IceCaps (AHL). He has scored 1-2-3 in 26 career NHL games between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens.Thomas was originally drafted by the Rangers in the second round (40th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and acquired by the Coyotes in a trade with the Canadiens on December 15, 2015."
The Arizona Coyotes had maintained their roster at just 22 players since they decided to waive forward Steve Downie and he was ultimately assigned to the Springfield Falcons after going unclaimed.
With Christian Thomas now called up to the big club, the Coyotes are back at 23 roster players.
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According to The Hockey Writers, Thomas “has a lot of skill and speed, but at just 5 foot 9, plays a game that isn’t particularly physical. His lack of physicality and occasionally shying away from the dirty places of the offensive zone has long been a knock on his game.”
This could be a concern for the Arizona Coyotes who have several smaller guys on the roster. If Thomas is in the lineup and the Coyotes also include a bigger body like recently acquired Jarred Tinordi that issue could be diminished, however.
Thomas has been decently productive in the AHL this season. He’s managed 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points between his time with St. John’s and Springfield. That point total is good for 4th on the Falcons so far this season.
Whether he gets in the lineup on this two game, back-to-back road trip against the Minnesota Wild and the Winnipeg Jets is another story.
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It’s possible Dave Tippett wants to get a look at him up close in practice. It’s also equally feasible that someone has picked up a knock and will need to sit one of the two nights and Thomas can slot right in and hopefully be productive.
Whatever the reason, the Arizona Coyotes’ roster is now whole once again heading into the final two games before the week long All-Star break.