Soundin' Off

Afternoon edit: The Islanders sent Aaron Ness down this afternoon. Edit2: Cizikas up (possible NHL debut to come), Poulin down as well. Edit3: Kael Mouillierat’s agent says he’s agreed to terms.

Tim Wallace had just gone onto the ice at Webster Bank Arena for a skate after the Sound Tigers’ practice when Brent Thompson, phone to his ear, bolted out from his office to the rink.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had claimed Wallace off waivers before the noon deadline, sending him to the Gulf Coast instead of Bridgeport.

“It’s nice, obviously, a good thing that another team likes you,” Wallace said. “It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of days. I’m just going to take it one game at a time from now on.”

Wallace (this was about 12:45) was just leaving the arena and had talked to his agent but not anyone from the Lightning yet. He has a familiar face waiting for him: Nate Thompson, a good friend from back home in Alaska.

(We’d say “former Islander Nate Thompson,” but it’s Tampa; they’re all former Islanders.)

Unless I’m forgetting or misinterpreting something, the timing seems to pretty much eliminate him from coming back here. He’d have to be in the minors Monday at 3 to be sent down this year, and to do that, he’d have to be placed on waivers by Saturday and claimed by the Islanders and only the Islanders. So, good for Wallace.

(Without Klementyev, including Koskinen, not including the two in junior, and now without Wallace: 43 NHL contracts? I should recount those at some point.)

And so, Bridgeport is stuck with the cast that has won 16 of the past 18. For now. It’s logical, as Arthur Staple tweeted Wednesday, that a call-up could be coming; there didn’t seem to be a tip here about who might be going. The forward lines looked a smidgen odd, actually, until someone pointed out that Tomas Marcinko, skating with Justin DiBenedetto and Casey Cizikas, was probably a placeholder for No. 36. Well, neither Marcinko (three-game suspension announced Wednesday afternoon, if you missed it) nor Wallace will be available Friday in Springfield.

With Ty Wishart back, Bridgeport released Wes Cunningham from his PTO. Brent Thompson said he thought Calvin de Haan could play this weekend, and — “big maybe” — Mark Katic was also possible. They don’t plan to rush Rhett Rakhshani back; he seems to be doing well.

The team announced Blair Riley’s and Steve Oleksy’s AHL contracts.

The Islanders announced the swap Monday morning.

Afternoon edit:

The ECHL transactions suggest that Wes Cunningham is coming back up from Greenville. He’s 2-20-22 for the Road Warriors, around which he went 0-0-0, minus-2 for Bridgeport during the rough stretch in mid-December (at Hartford, at Hershey).

(Exciting/scary fact: A PTO signed next Tuesday expires with the end of the regular season.)

Chris Botta on the Islanders’ arena saga.

Darien’s Hugh Jessiman signs with Abbotsford.

Tip of cap to Mike Comrie.

And we’ll chat Tuesday at 1:30.

Bridgeport released Wes Cunningham, Kael Mouillierat and Tyler Ruegsegger from their tryouts today. Their ECHL teams all have games this week — Ruegsegger and Mouillierat could play each other three times in Boise by Friday — and there’s the possibility of players getting healthy here.

Josh Hennessy wound up with a broken nose on a Brett Gallant hit yesterday, Mark Divver reported. Hennessy thought the hit was OK.

Nick Niedert is going back to Elmira. Whirlwind of a week for him.

And we’ll chat Tuesday at 1:30, if folks are around.

Edit: Just to make it crazier, Brian Rolston suffered a concussion tonight, the Islanders announced. Not counting Nino Niederreiter, who’s technically active but dealing with his own concussion, the Isles are down to 11 healthy forwards and going on the road tomorrow.

A busy morning, one to give you faith in Twitter buzz. The Islanders put Rick DiPietro on injured reserve this morning to clear room for a second call-up. One, expected, was Calvin de Haan. The other, less expected, was Kevin Poulin, who’ll start tonight against Dallas with Evgeni Nabokov not ready to go.

So Bridgeport had to go about replacing them. The rumored goalie was in the opposite net from Anders Nilsson: Nick Niedert, a second-year Danbury Whaler, fresh off a win over Cape Cod after a stint with Pat Bingham in Elmira.

The defenseman wasn’t on the ice for practice but was in the room afterward: Wes Cunningham, who impressed Brent Thompson with Greenville the past couple of years. “We have six defensemen capable of playing,” Thompson said. “It was a concern of, the hole Calvin leaves, to make sure we have that offensive presence. We have it with Donovan, with Ness, with Wishart, but we want that element of puck-moving defense.” He said Cunningham will bring an edge to his game, too. I could have sworn Cunningham’s name sounded familiar. There’s a reason for that.

Last night’s ECHL-transactions reveal, Kael Mouillierat, hadn’t yet arrived. He seems to be a versatile centerman coming to cover for Jeremy Colliton, who still isn’t feeling well, Thompson said, and looked doubtful for Friday at the moment. As of the morning, Tony Romano was in Colliton’s spot between Micheal Haley and Rhett Rakhshani.

Including the injured Chris Langkow, Bridgeport has seven players on pro tryouts at this writing; Mouillierat would make eight. Langkow, Gillies and DiBenedetto all remain out.

Elsewhere, one of last year’s myriad PTOs, Brandon Svendsen, is back with Binghamton.

Hartford looks to be without its leading scorer, Mats Zuccarello.

Alan Hahn’s arrival at MSG, here on Eric Hornick’s blog, notes that he’ll also be involved in hockey broadcasts.

And I feel as if I should have bought HBO just for this.