Injuries: Callahan, Landeskog, Toews
Injury updates tonight in the NHL:
- Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan is out tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a lower body injury, reports Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The Lightning winger is off to a slow start this season with only 2G and 2A in 15 games so far. His ice time has diminished as a result—Callahan is averaging less than 15 minutes a game. It is unclear what caused the injury, but Callahan did participate in the team’s morning skate today, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
- Adrian Dater reports that Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog may be suffering from a charley horse that refuses to heal. According to Cam Tucker of NBC Sports, Landeskog isn’t even skating with the team, indicating that he may be out longer than expected. The Swedish forward had 4G and 4A in 15 games before the injury, and the flailing Avalanche need him back as soon as possible. They currently sit one point out of last place in the Western Conference.
- The Chicago Blackhawks will be without captain Jonathan Toews for the third straight game, reports the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc. Toews sits out with an apparent back injury suffered last Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks. Coach Joel Quennevillle does not consider the injury serious and labelled the captain day-to-day. Toews is experiencing an uncommonly low shooting percentage so far this season, scoring on only 7.4% of his shots, while his career average is just under 15%. He’ll hope to improve on those numbers when he returns. The Toews-less Blackhawks face the Florida Panthers tonight in what is their first game of five in eight nights.
Friedman’s Latest: Florida, Alzner, Virtanen
In Elliotte Friedman’s latest wonderful 30 Thoughts column, the Sportsnet reporter goes in detail on Florida’s recent philosophical change that resulted in the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant last week. Comparing the Panthers to baseballs Pittsburgh Pirates of 2013 – a team that completely bought into an analytical approach and made the playoffs for the first time in twenty years. The Panthers are trying similarly to buy-in to a game-changing approach, even after the most successful season in franchise history.
Part of the turnaround will hopefully be Tom Rowe stepping from the front office to behind the bench, but Friedman has another note. The Panthers moved Dave Bolland out this summer to clear cap room for a major acquisition in-season. Whoever that ends up being, combined with the return of Jonathan Huberdeau could be a huge swing for the Panthers down the stretch. It cost Lawson Crouse to rid themselves of Bolland, meaning they better take advantage of the cap space it bought them.
- In looking at the upcoming free agent class, Friedman zones in on two names in particular. Kevin Shattenkirk, who has been widely talked about since the last draft as being a possible trade candidate, and Karl Alzner, the steady Washington defenseman who is said to be looking for somewhere between $5.5-6MM dollars this summer. Alzner has been a rock for the Capitals, but with shrinking cap space the team likely won’t be able to afford him past this season. If he does make it to the open market, Friedman points to Western Canada for hints on who will be after the former Team Canada captain (World Junior’s, 2008).
- The Buffalo Sabres are still a rebuilding team, but have suffered through a ton of injuries this season and may not be as bad as their record looks. Interestingly, Friedman reports that the team has been scouting a ton of the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate Utica. While he opines that the team is watching Jake Virtanen who has been up and down all year between the two clubs, perhaps something other than Evander Kane was brought up when Buffalo and Vancouver were talking earlier this year.
Scott Wedgewood Undergoes Surgery, Out Six Months
The New Jersey Devils announced today that goaltender Scott Wedgewood underwent successful shoulder surgery today and will be sidelined for approximately six months. The surgery was to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Wedgewood suffered the injury on Friday November 19th, when he relieved AHL backup Mackenzie Blackwood against the Binghamton Senators.
This is the same shoulder that Wedgewood injured last season and forced him to miss time. This summer, the netminder was one of the final cuts from the New Jersey training camp to the surprise of many. With outstanding AHL numbers in 2015-16 (when he was healthy), many believed that he was ready to step up to an NHL job. Instead, he cleared waivers and was assigned to Albany where he’d been playing well again. In 10 games this season he was 5-3-0 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.18 GAA.
The baby-Devils will now ask two rookie goaltenders to fill the pipes for them, as Blackwood and Ken Appleby are the current duo. While Blackwood has struggled in eight games, Appleby has performed extremely well since a callup from the ECHL. In three games, the 21-year old is undefeated with a .932 save percentage. While Blackwood was the Devils’ second-round pick in 2015, Appleby went undrafted after playing his junior hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.
Peter Holland Stays Home During Maple Leafs Road Trip
2:11pm: Darren Dreger has a quote from Resnick:
Peter and Lou met this weekend. At this time, it appears that Peter’s future with the club is limited and Lou will do his best to trade him. Lou also stated that Peter not go on the road trip during this time frame.
It seems like Lamoriello is trying to protect his asset from any sudden injury by keeping him at home during the road trip, but whatever value he had must have been damaged by the public admission that he’s trying to trade him. We’ll see if the Maple Leafs can get anything of substance for the struggling forward.
1:21pm: Uncertainty around the fringes of the Maple Leafs roster continues, as today Peter Holland was not present at the morning skate in Edmonton. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, Holland stayed home after talking to his agent Joe Resnick. Luke Fox of Sportsnet also tells us that Resnick met with Lou Lamoriello recently, and Darren Dreger says that he “absolutely wanted to go on Leafs’ trip west in hopes of playing.”
The expectation, from Dreger and Kristen Shilton of TSN, is that either a trade or waivers will follow soon for the 25-year old. Holland cleared waivers earlier this summer while negotiating a new contract and has only seen eight games through the early part of the season, registering a single point.
Since being drafted by Anaheim 15th overall in 2009, Holland has developed into a solid bottom-six player that contributes around 10 goals and 25 points per season. The Leafs and head coach Mike Babcock seem to have grown tired of him however, as even when he’s dressed he’s only seen around ten minutes of ice time per game.
With the impending return of Josh Leivo from injury, the team had a decision to make about the last roster spot, and it seems as though it won’t go to Holland. If he is placed on waivers, it will be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him this time around. He’s currently earning $1.3MM on his second RFA contract.
Injury Notes: Little, McNabb, Toews
The Winnipeg Jets have scored a respectable 62 goals in 24 games, and they’ve done it without one of their top weapons. Bryan Little has been out since being injured just two and a half minutes into his season, but will return tonight against the New Jersey Devils on home ice. The 29-year old is a proven goal scorer in the NHL, with 163 to his name including four seasons of 20+. The Jets have placed Nic Petan on injured reserve retroactive to November 27th to make room.
While the media has focused on the Jets’ lack of faceoff success, Little thinks he can help the team in that department.
That’s one of my goals to come back. It’s something I feel like I can be good at right away again, to get back into the faceoff dot. I see the guys working on it every day, they’re talking to the coaches, watching video and practicing in practice.
I think we can all help each other a bit. Throughout the game we take faceoffs against different centermen on the other team…we’ve got some good communication through the centers of trying to work through things.
Little is actually a 48.6% faceoff man throughout his career, though he won just over half of his draws last season which led the Winnipeg centers.
- According to Jon Rosen of NHL.com, Brayden McNabb took to the ice today for the first time since injuring his collarbone on October 29th. While he didn’t take part in any drills, it’s a step in the right direction for the big defenseman. Rosen passes on from head coach Darryl Sutter that McNabb is still “at least a month away”. The 25-year old had been logging over 20 minutes a night for the Los Angeles Kings before being injured, skating alongside Drew Doughty in what was considered by some to be the second-best pairing in the league. The Kings, not short on defenders, have continued to be tough to score against even without McNabb or Jonathan Quick, who remains out.
- Jonathan Toews will miss his third straight game tonight when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Florida Panthers. The team captain was seen in street clothes while the team was practicing, meaning his return might not be imminent. Chicago is 1-1-1 without Toews in the lineup, having lost to the Kings in overtime on Saturday.
Darren Dreger On Dougie Hamilton
TSN Insider Darren Dreger was on Naylor & Landsberg in Toronto this morning to talk about the possibility of a Dougie Hamilton trade out of Calgary and the interest of the Maple Leafs. While Dreger downplayed the idea that anything has been discussed between the Maple Leafs and Flames, he admitted that he believes Hamilton is still available for the right price.
I think that Toronto should be intrigued by Dougie Hamilton. But as (TSN analyst) Ray Ferraro just pointed out, Hamilton is valued by the Calgary Flames. His game has improved over the past three weeks to a month, and big…young, right-shot d-men are hard to find.
(General manager Brad) Treliving is at a place where if someone’s calling he’s willing to listen, but we in the media have done the bidding. Hamilton’s name is out there because we continue to talk about it – right or wrong.
I think that Calgary is at least willing to listen…maybe Treliving does something significant like this, not just with Toronto, but moving Hamilton or a bigger piece to shake up the core.
Dreger mentions that Arizona and other teams called in on Hamilton at the NHL draft, though obviously nothing materialized from those talks. The defenseman is signed long-term, inking a six-year $34.5MM deal before the beginning of last season. He’s an interesting piece to basically the whole league, as his potential is still mouth-wateringly high despite his rough start in Calgary.
Hamilton was drafted with Toronto’s first-round pick in 2011, only by the Boston Bruins. The team acquired the selection in the initial Phil Kessel deal (along with #2 overall in 2010 – Tyler Seguin) but traded the hulking defenseman to the Flames last summer for a package of draft picks. Dreger seems convinced that the rumors of Hamilton returning to Toronto should be put to sleep, as Trelving answered him quite candidly the last time they spoke.
I asked Brad Treliving point blank yesterday if he had anything going on with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I didn’t suggest Hamilton, I just said anything. His response was: ‘Nothing. Zero.’ When managers tell you that specifically, that bluntly, it means they don’t want that conversation to continue on, because there’s nothing there at least for the moment.
Travis Moen Retires From Professional Hockey
After fourteen years and 747 career games, veteran forward Travis Moen has announced that he will retire from professional hockey. The 34-year old from Stewart Valley, Saskatchewan hadn’t found a job this season after spending the last two seasons playing sporadically with the Dallas Stars. 
Moen is perhaps best known for his shutdown play alongside Sami Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer en route to the 2007 Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks. Their play helped the Ducks run roughshod over the rest of the league in those playoffs, losing only five games total. Moen actually was credited with the Cup-winning goal, though it was put into the net by Chris Phillips in one of the biggest NHL bloopers of all time.
The winger would then spend time with the San Jose Sharks before playing for the Montreal Canadiens for parts of six seasons. Though his offensive game never hit that 2006-07 high again, he remained an effective penalty killer and bottom-six checking forward for much of his time there.
Across the 747 games, Moen scored 59 goals and 136 points. He played in a whopping 83 playoff games, adding 19 points and 61 penalty minutes. Always playing with an edge, and willing to drop the mitts at a moment’s notice, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him move into a coaching role one day, as many checking forwards have before.
Roster Notes: Pulock, Hammond, Newbury
After a much-needed win last night over the Calgary Flames, the New York Islanders have some more good news this morning. 22-year old defenseman Ryan Pulock has been activated off injured reserve and loaned to Bridgeport of the AHL. The former 15th-overall pick has played in just three games between the two levels this season as he dealt with a broken foot early on.
For the Islanders, Pulock’s return might be an important step in turning their season around. Expected to play a substantial role on the NHL blueline this year, the right-handed shot would slide in nicely beside Calvin de Haan if the team chose that route. He’ll look to get his game back on track at the lower level and force a callup. Last season, Pulock played in 15 NHL contests, notching four points. Even without him, the Islanders have one of the youngest bluelines in the league with Dennis Seidenberg out with a broken jaw.
- According to the AHL transactions page, recently waived goaltender Andrew Hammond has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators prior to tonight’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. Despite the call up, Bruce Garrioch reports that Craig Anderson was first off the ice and will start tonight after winning both games this weekend, allowing just a single goal in the process. The Senators are on a four-game winning streak thanks in big part to the 35-year old netminder who currently carries a .936 save percentage through 17 games.
- Veteran AHL forward Kris Newbury has signed on with the Charlotte Checkers after being released from his Bakersfield PTO. The 34-year old has never been able to find NHL success despite scoring at an impressive rate in the AHL. Newbury has 567 career minor-league points, but has been used exclusively as a fourth-liner grinder and fighter during his short NHL stints around the league.
Jack Eichel Reportedly Returns Tuesday
Jack Eichel is slated to return to the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators, reports the Buffalo News’ John Vogl. Eichel has not played yet this season after suffering a high ankle sprain in practice before the Sabres’ first game.
Eichel has been practicing with the team for the past week or so, and Coach Dan Bylsma is happy with how Eichel has responded to those heavy workloads. Eichel has not played competitive hockey since the World Cup this summer where he scored 1G and 1A in three games.
Eichel is looking to build on his stellar rookie season. Last season he scored 24G and 32A in 81 games for the Sabres and placed fourth in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year. His return cannot come at a better time as the Sabres languish in last place in the Atlantic and have a league-worst 39 Goals For. Adding Eichel’s playmaking skills should immediately boost Buffalo’s anemic offense.
Blue Jackets Trade Cody Goloubef For Ryan Stanton
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced tonight that they have traded defenseman Cody Goloubef to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Ryan Stanton. The Blue Jackets immediately assigned Stanton to the AHL Cleveland Monsters, while Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the Avalanche assigned Goloubef to its AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage.
Goloubef—the former 2008 2nd round draft pick—has 2G and 5A in 16 games for the Cleveland Monsters this season. The defenseman has bounced between the AHL and NHL since he was drafted, and scored 1G and 7A in 43 games with Columbus last season.
Stanton went undrafted but signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. In 15 games with the San Antonia Rampage this season Stanton has scored 1G and 3A. He also played two full seasons in the NHL with the Canucks from 2013-15, scoring 4G and 23A in 118 games.
Coincidentally, both players have ties to their new coaches. Goloubef played for Avs Coach Jared Bednar when Bedner coached the Cleveland Monsters last year. Stanton meanwhile played for John Tortorella in Vancouver during the defenseman’s tenure with the Canucks.