Roundup: Flyers send Leighton to AHL

The Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday loaned goaltender Michael Leighton to their AHL affiliate, the  Adirondack Phantoms, for a six-day conditioning period.

Leighton, who led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final last spring and signed a two-year contract during the summer, underwent back surgery on Oct. 11, a partial discectomy, performed by Dr. Alex Vacarro at Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia.

In 103 NHL games with the Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and Carolina Hurricanes over parts of nine NHL seasons, Leighton has a career record of 34-40-10-4, a 2.94 GAA, .902 save percentage, and four shutouts.  He went 8-3 in last spring's playoffs with a 2.46 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 14 games, including three shutout victories against Montreal in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Leafs recall Crabb from Marlies -- The Maple Leafs recalled forward Joey Crabb from their AHL team, the Toronto Marlies, and had him in the lineup for Tuesday's home game against Tampa Bay.

Crabb, 27, has played in 23 games for the Marlies and leads the team with 9 goals. He has 3 assists along with 16 penalty minutes. The Anchorage, Alaska, native previously played in the NHL for Atlanta in the 2008-09 season, during which he skated in 29 games, scoring 4 goals and 5 assists along with 28 penalty minutes.

Wild reassign Kassian -- Minnesota reassigned forward Matt Kassian to its AHL farm team in Houston.

Kassian, 24, has been recalled to the Wild three times this season. He has averaged 5:29 in ice time and has 12 penalty minutes in four games with the Wild. Kassian has 1 goal and 1 assist, along with a team-high 54 PIM in 18 games with the Aeros this season. Kassian made his NHL debut on Nov. 5 against Calgary. The 6-foot-5, 252-pound native of Edmonton was selected by Minnesota in the second round (No. 57) in the 2005 Entry Draft.

Morin back with Hawks -- The Chicago Blackhawks recalled forward Jeremy Morin from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

Morin, 19, made his NHL debut on Nov. 6 at Atlanta and has played two games without earning a point. The Auburn, N.Y., native leads Rockford with 6 goals, including a team-high four power-play goals, is tied for third on the team with 9 points in 17 games in his first season as a pro.

The Hawks acquired Morin from Atlanta in a trade on June 24, 2010, after he tied for fourth in the Ontario Hockey League with 47 goals and ranked 12th with 83 points in 58 regular-season games in his rookie season with the Kitchener Rangers. Morin, selected by the Thrashers with the 45th choice in the 2009 Entry Draft, also earned a gold medal as a member of Team USA at the 2010 World Junior Championship.

Thrashers sign Stapleton, activate Cormier -- The Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday signed unrestricted free agent forward Tim Stapleton and activated forward Patrice Cormier from injured reserve. Cormier was assigned to the AHL Chicago Wolves, and Stapleton is expected to join the team in Colorado.

Stapleton, 28, has 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in 20 games this season with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.  His plus-7 rating ranked second on the team. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound forward has 158 points (66 goals, 92 assists) in 172 career games during four AHL seasons with Portland (2005-06), Toronto (2008-09), Chicago (2009-10) and San Antonio.  

The La Grange, Ill., native has also appeared in 10 NHL games with Atlanta and Toronto, scoring 3 goals. 

Cormier, 20, was activated from IR after suffering a broken foot during training camp. The 6-2, 215-pound center will rejoin Chicago, where last season he competed in nine playoff games.
The Thrashers acquired Cormier from New Jersey in February as part of the deal that sent Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils. He spent the last five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Rimouski (2006-07 to 2009-10) and Rouyn-Noranda (2009-10). In 189 career QMJHL games, Cormier totaled 144 points (63 goals, 81 assists).

Stars demote Blindenbacher -- The Dallas Stars assigned defenseman Severin Blindenbacher to the Texas Stars, their AHL affiliate.

Blindenbacher, 27, was recalled on Nov. 23 but did not appear in an NHL game for Dallas. He has appeared in eight games for Texas, scoring 1 goal and 3 assists with 4r penalty minutes. The Swiss defenseman signed as a free agent with Dallas on July 1, 2010.

Calgary sends Meyer to AHL -- The Calgary Flames sent forward Stefan Meyer to the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League.

Meyer, a native of Medicine Hat, Alta., registered his first NHL points with a pair of assists in 16 games for the Flames this season, along with 17 penalty minutes. He spent the last four seasons in the AHL, four with Rochester and one with San Antonio, before signing with the Flames as a free agent this summer.

Isles re-sign Colliton -- The New York Islanders have signed center Jeremy Colliton to a one-year, two-way contract.

Colliton, a second-round pick by the Islanders in the 2003 Entry Draft, played 42 games with New York from 2005-06 to 2008-09, scoring 1 goal and adding 2 assists along with 16 penalty minutes. He spent most of that time with the Bridgeport South Tigers, the Isles' AHL affiliate, scoring 50 goals and 84 assists for 134 points in 250 games. Colliton rejoined the Sound Tigers this season after spending 2009-10 playing for Rogle Angelholm in the Swedish Elite League, scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 40 games.