The Adirondack Thunder had a day free to rest on Thursday as they are scheduled to play the next two days to finish off the crucial series with the opposing Maine Mariners. However, that did not stop the Thunder from keeping busy off the ice as they made a plethora of moves. Evan Cormier and Ludvig Larsson will return to Adirondack from the Binghamton Devils.
Freddy Gerard was traded to the Cincinnati Cyclones in exchange for future considerations. Join me as I try and break down these moves for Adirondack.
Cormier Returning
Yes, Evan Cormier is once again back in a Thunder uniform. This comes as no surprise as Binghamton already has Giles Senn and Cory Schneider who have seemed to be splitting time while Cormier has seemed to be the odd guy out. This comes about a week after the Thunder went out and acquired Sean Romeo from the Flordia Everblades.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that Romeo pitched a shutout in his first appearance with the Thunder, he may be the odd guy out, but he was not placed on reserve today despite the call-up. I do expect the Thunder to role with a three goalie system for this weekend at the very least.
Cormier is 3-2-3-1 with a 2.74 goals against average and .904 save percentage. He has also recorded one shutout this season. With Cormier getting called up, I expect him to get the start tomorrow night on home ice in Glens Falls.
Ludvig Larsson Recalled
So Cormier will have a travel buddy in 24-year-old forward Ludvig Larsson as he was also recalled by the Thunder following a stint with the Binghamton Devils. Larsson had a solid stretch despite being in Adirondack for a short period earlier this season. He played in a total of five games, putting up a goal and two assists during that time. Larsson could be another huge asset to the Thunder and could see some time on the second line with the team during his time with Adirondack.
To make room for Cormier and Larsson, the Thunder shipped forward Freddy Gerard to Cincinnati in exchange for good ol’ future considerations. Gerard has been a healthy scratch in the last six games for Adirondack and only played in four total games while residing with the Thunder in Glens Falls, New York. Gerard had four shots on goal during his short lived tenure with Adirondack.
In addition to these three transactions, Nikita Popugaev was placed on reserve. Popugaev has two points in two of his last three games before being put on reserve. This comes as an intriguing move as Popugaev has looked very good the past few weeks and coach Alex Loh praised him a for it a few weeks ago.