Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that center Joel Perrault has cleared re-entry waivers and has been recalled by the Coyotes from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. Perrault, 25, has recorded 8-21-29 and 20 penalty minutes (PIM) in 20 games for San Antonio this season. Last year, he finished with 7-10-17 and 48 PIM in 49 games for the Coyotes, setting career-highs in games played, goals, assists, points, penalty minutes, power play goals (3) and game-winning goals (2). Prior to last season?s stint with the Coyotes, Perrault recorded 14-13-27 and 36 PIM in 28 games with San Antonio. He was named to the 2008 AHL All-Star Game but was unable to play due to his recall. The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Perrault registered 1-2-3 and 14 PIM in 15 games for the Coyotes in 2006-07 while also appearing in 11 games for the St. Louis Blues. In addition, Perrault collected 10-6-16 and 15 PIM in 23 games with San Antonio and Peoria (AHL). Perrault, who has recorded 9-13-22 and 64 PIM in 80 career NHL games with Phoenix and St. Louis, was originally drafted by Anaheim in the 5th round (137th overall) of the 2001 Entry Draft.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed defenseman Cory Murphy off re-entry waivers from the Florida Panthers, Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Lawton announced. Murphy, 30, has skated in 54 NHL games the past two seasons with Florida, recording two goals, 16 assists and 24 penalty minutes. He has also skated in five games with Rochester of the American Hockey League this season, tallying two goals and six points. Murphy, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound native of Kanata, Ontario, played six professional seasons in Finland and Switzerland before signing with the Panthers as a free agent prior to last season. A talented skater and puck-handler, Murphy produced a breakthrough season with HIFK Helsinki in 2006-07, earning league MVP honors. His 50 points that season are the second highest total for a defenseman in Finnish League history, and he went on to capture a Gold Medal with Team Canada at the 2007 World Championships following the season. Murphy played four collegiate seasons at Colgate, recording 28 goals and 111 points in 138 career games.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have claimed goaltender Wade Dubielewicz off waivers from the New York Islanders and assigned goaltender Dan LaCosta to the Syracuse Crunch, the club?s American Hockey League affiliate, club General Manager Scott Howson announced today. Dubielewicz, 29, has appeared in 37 career NHL games with the Islanders, compiling a 16-13-2 record, 2.55 goals-against average and .920 save percentage from 2003-08. In 2007-08, he went 9-9-1 with a 2.70 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in a career-high 20 games with the club. He spent the first part of the 2008-09 season with Kazan Ak-Bars of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, where he posted an 11-8-3 record and 2.77 goals-against average in 21 games. Signed by the Islanders as a free agent prior to the 2003-04 season, Dubielewicz split four of his first five seasons between New York and the AHL?s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He went 80-64-13 with a 2.53 goals-against average and 15 shutouts in 162 career AHL games, including 20-8-5 with a 1.38 goals-against average and nine shutouts in 33 games in 2003-04. That year, he was a Second Team AHL All-Star, an AHL All-Rookie Team selection, won the Dudley ?Red? Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL?s Rookie of the Year and shared the Harry ?Hap? Holmes Memorial Award (fewest goals-against) with teammate Dieter Kochan. A native of Invermere, British Columbia, Dubielewicz played four seasons at the University of Denver, where he posted a 44-26-6 mark with a 2.20 goals-against average and eight shutouts in 85 games. He was a WCHA First All-Star Team selection in 2001-02 and a WCHA Second All-Star Team pick in 2000-01 and 2002-03. LaCosta, 22, has posted a 12-11-2 record with a 2.72 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout in 28 games with the Crunch this season. Columbus? fourth pick, 93rd overall in the 2004 Entry Draft, he has gone 26-20-6 with a 2.59 GAA, .914 SV% and five shutouts in 62 career AHL games. He was added to the roster on emergency recall on January 8 and did not appear in a game.

Canucks' goalie Roberto Luongo is expected to start Thursday, according to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun, in his first game action since he suffered a groin injury almost two months ago. Luongo practiced Wednesday, and barring any setbacks, will be in net Thursday night against the visiting Coyotes. With Luongo set to return, the Canucks placed Curtis Sanford on waivers Wednesday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Sunday that the hockey club has recalled forward Nikolai Kulemin from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. In 40 games with the Maple Leafs this season, Kulemin registered 14 points (seven goals, seven assists), eight penalty minutes and averaged 13:55 of ice time. He appeared in three games for the Marlies (0g, 0a) after his assignment to the AHL on January 7. The rookie from Magnitogorsk, Russia, was Toronto?s second choice, 44th overall, in the 2006 Entry Draft.

The Thrashers added a center Saturday, when they claimed Rich Peverley off waivers from the Predators, as reported by Yahoo.com.