Anton Khudobin Out Three Weeks
Boston’s goaltending depth is about to get put to the test as the team announced on Tuesday that Anton Khudobin will miss the next three weeks with an upper body injury that was sustained in practice on Monday. This comes at the same time that the team is currently missing starter Tuukka Rask due to general body soreness and there remains no timetable for his return to action.
Khudobin has played in a pair of games this season while subbing for Rask. Both contests were losses with the 30 year old posting a 4.10 GAA and a .849 save percentage.
As a result of the injury, the team will be running with a duo of prospects Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre for the time being, the latter being recalled on an emergency basis today. McIntyre leads the AHL in both goals against (0.44) and save percentage (.977) this season while Subban, Boston’s first round pick in 2012, has struggled, being pulled in two starts already while posting a 4.50 GAA and a .846 save percentage. Subban is expected to get the start between the pipes tonight against Minnesota.
The team will also be without center David Backes for that game, who is day-to-day with an unspecified injury, adds Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). However, veteran blueliner Adam McQuaid will make his season debut for the Bruins, the team announced (Twitter link).
The Bruins also assigned defenseman Rob O’Gara to their AHL affiliate in Providence. The rookie has played in three games with Boston this season, logging just over 16 minutes per night in ice time.
Metropolitan Notes: Sanford, Jooris, Bickell, Boulton
The Washington Capitals did some heavy recruiting on left winger Zach Sanford back in the summer, writes Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Although the team had his exclusive rights for at least one year, they wanted to sign him a year early for a couple of reasons. One of those was a concern that his development might stagnate if he played at the lower level for another year while another was to avoid any possibility of him opting for unrestricted free agency like Jimmy Vesey did before joining the Rangers or former Washington prospect Thomas Di Pauli did before joining Pittsburgh.
For his part, Sanford admitted to needing a bit of convincing to turn pro early:
“I was pretty set on going back to school and they told me I had a chance to make the team. I thought I might not ever get this opportunity again, so I had to take advantage of it.”
Sanford has been up with the team all season, appearing in three of five games while alternating with Brett Connolly in the lineup. He has been held off the scoresheet so far but is averaging a respectable 11:55 per contest. Despite being in and out of the lineup, head coach Barry Trotz told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post that there are no plans to send him to their AHL affiliate in Hershey at this time.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Despite picking up his first goal of the season over the weekend, Rangers center Josh Jooris could be in danger of losing his roster spot in the immediate future, opines Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. The Rangers are carrying the maximum 23 players on the roster and Pavel Buchnevich is nearing a return to the lineup. If Chris Kreider’s neck injury is a short-term one as expected, the team will have to waive someone to make room for Buchnevich. The primary candidates are Jooris and defenseman Dylan McIlrath but given McIlrath’s first round pedigree, the more likely candidate to be risked on the waiver wire would seem to be the 26 year old Jooris.
- Bryan Bickell has impressed Carolina head coach Bill Peters so far this season despite playing on the fourth line, writes Chip Alexander of the Carolina News and Observer. Bickell has yet to pick up a point through five games but Peters highlighted his physicality as a strength so far. Despite not scoring in a year and a half, the Hurricanes have used Bickell regularly on the power play in the hopes of getting something from the veteran. Back in the offseason, the team acquired Teuvo Teravainen from Chicago but had to assume the remainder of Bickell’s contract to do so. With a cap hit of $4MM and a salary of $4.5MM, it’s unlikely that Carolina will be able to flip him during the season unless they can help him rediscover his form from a few years ago with the Blackhawks.
- After clearing waivers over the weekend, veteran winger Eric Boulton has not yet reported to Bridgeport of the AHL, affiliate of the New York Islanders. Michael Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post notes (via Twitter) that Boulton is currently “sorting family issues”. Boulton signed a two-way deal in the offseason but has only played two AHL games since the 1999-2000 season.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Expansion Draft Tool, Senators
News and notes around the NHL this evening:
- The NHL named its three stars of the week today: (1st) Edmonton Oilers goalie Cam Talbot, (2nd) Chicago Blackhawks center Artem Anisimov, and (3rd) Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green. Cam Talbot leads all goalies in wins, and racked up a 3-0-0 record with a .970 SV% and a 1.00 GAA. Talbot topped it all off with a shutout in the Heritage Classic last night against the Winnipeg Jets. Artem Anisimov led the league in points this week, scoring 4G and 3A in three games. Anisimov has struggled to find his foothold in the NHL, but with more opportunity in the Chicago Blackhawks organization after they shed salary to remain cap compliant, this year could be the year Anisimov fulfills his potential. Finally, Mike Green scored 3G and 2A in four games, though all three came in a 5-1 win against the Ottawa Senators.
- Capfriendly—PHR’s cap tracker website of choice—has unveiled a new Expansion Draft tool that allows visitors to mock a team’s expansion draft protections. The addition comes a week after the Las Vegas NHL Expansion Team hired General Fanager creator Tom Poraszka and shut down the General Fanager site, including its popular Expansion Draft tool.
- The Ottawa Senators have mixed up their offensive lines ahead of their three-game Western road trip, reports Ottawa Sun reporter Bruce Garrioch. The Senators are 3-2 this season and sit 6th of 8 in the Atlantic Division. Tom Pyatt joins Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris, and Ryan Dzingel gets a chance to play with Bobby Ryan and newcomer Derick Brassard. Ottawa has struggled to find chemistry after losing winger Clarke MacArthur to yet another concussion in the pre-season.
Sabres Move Sam Reinhart to Center
The Buffalo Sabres have done some line-shuffling this week to cope with the loss of star prospect Jack Eichel. Sam Reinhart, a natural centerman, was moved to right wing to start the season in an attempt to stack the Sabres’ offensive lines.
Reinhart initially played wing alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo. Despite the star power around him, however, Reinhart managed only two assists in the Sabres’ first four games. Dan Bylsma’s move back to wing puts Reinhart in between Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons. Lesser talent perhaps, but Reinhart playing his natural position should help him regain his scoring touch. Last season Reinhart scored 23G and 19A in 79 games for the Sabres, and the team is looking for the young forward to produce as much or more this season.
Bylsma alluded that the move would be temporary, and that he would like to see Reinhart play alongside Jack Eichel or Ryan O’Reilly in the future. That would mean that Reinhart would move back to the wing. When Eichel returns the Sabres will be set for first and second line centers, and Bylsma does not want to leave Reinhart languishing on the third line. But for now Reinhart is anchoring the Sabres’ second line, and tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers should serve as a test on whether the move sparks something inside the former 2nd overall pick.
Snapshots: Rantanen, Canucks, Ullmark, Pelkey
News and notes from around the NHL this evening:
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled top prospect Mikko Rantanen from the San Antonio Rampage today. The Colorado first round draft pick—10th overall in 2015—dominated in San Antonio last year, scoring 24G and 36A in 52 games. The Avs called him up for nine games last season but the Finn failed to score a point. Rantanen was set to make the Colorado roster out of training camp but he suffered an ankle injury that has kept him out since mid-September. The team sent him down to San Antonio for a conditioning stint last week, and believe he is now ready to contribute. In his four games with the AHL club this year he registered two assists.
- The Vancouver Canucks called up two players today from the Utica Comets: forward Jayson Megna and defenseman Troy Stecher. Megna was an undrafted free agent who has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers before signing with the Canucks this season. The 26 year-old American has always put up decent numbers in the AHL but has not translated that into a permanent spot in the NHL. Stecher is another undrafted free agent, and played three years for the University of North Dakota in the NCAA before signing with the Canucks last April.
- The Buffalo Sabres have called up goaltender Linus Ullmark from the Rochester Americans (Amerks) today, per the team’s twitter account. Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports that Robin Lehner is sick and that Anders Nilsson will get the start tomorrow. The Sabres needed a goalie for practice this morning and had to use 40 year-old goaltending coach Andrew Allen. Ullmark is currently sporting a 2.75GAA and a .926 SV% in 4 games with the Amerks. Last season Ullmark was called on to start 20 games after both Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson suffered injuries, and performed modestly with a 2.60GAA and a .913SV%. Ullmark hopes to take the backup position away from Anders Nilsson at some point.
- Team USA’s Women’s National Team (USWNT) has added Amanda Pelkey to their lineup for the Four Nations Tournament in Finland this November. Pelkey replaces Amanda Kessel who is out with a lower body injury. The former University of Vermont phenom currently has 2G and 1A in 4 games for the NWHL’s Boston Pride, and was recently named the player of the week.
Injury Updates: Penguins, Bruins, Stars, Blues, Kings
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby returned to practice for the first time on Monday since sustaining a concussion just prior to the start of the regular season, notes Sam Kasan of the team’s official website. He also wasn’t wearing a non-contact jersey which is a sign that he should be nearing a return to the lineup in the near future. Crosby skated on the top line in practice along with wingers Patric Hornqvist and Scott Wilson. There remains no firm timetable for his return, but head coach Mike Sullivan wouldn’t rule out a possible return this week.
Still with the Penguins, Kris Letang (upper body) and Conor Sheary (eye) did not practice today, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (via Twitter). Both players are currently listed as day-to-day.
Other injury updates from around the league:
- With Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask still unavailable to practice, the team announced that they’ve recalled prospect Malcolm Subban on an emergency basis. On top of that, Anton Khudobin left practice early with an upper body injury, adds Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Rask remains day-to-day while there’s no word yet on the severity of Khudobin’s injury.
- After returning to the lineup on Saturday from a groin injury, Dallas right winger Ales Hemsky is once again on the shelf with a groin injury and won’t play tomorrow, notes Mike Heika of the Dallas News. Additionally, center Jason Spezza tweaked something and is listed as questionable. Jiri Hudler (flu) is skating and is nearing a return to the lineup but is not expected to play on Tuesday night. The team announced that Hemsky has been placed on IR while center Justin Dowling has been recalled from Texas of the AHL.
- St. Louis center Jori Lehtera skated on his own today as he continues to recover from an upper body injury, reports Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). In a follow-up tweet, Timmermann adds that right winger Dmitrij Jaskin is day-to-day with a back issue.
- Kings goaltender Jeff Zatkoff is expected to miss around a week with his groin injury, head coach Darryl Sutter told reporters including Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Zatkoff was expected to be the backup to Jonathan Quick this season but was thrust into the starting role with Quick expected to miss the next three months. In the meantime, Los Angeles will continue to go with Peter Budaj as their starter while speculation continues that the team will eventually have to add some help via the trade route.
Flyers Notes: Manning, Read, Team Size, Mason
Last month, Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning was looking like he might be on the outside looking in for a roster spot. The six game suspension for Radko Gudas gave him a chance to start the season with the team and as Greg Paone of CSNPhilly writes, Manning has made a huge impression for Philadelphia and has arguably been their best defender so far.
Through the first five games, Manning has a goal and three assists to go along with a team high +5 rating. He’s also averaging a career high in minutes with 17:29 per game.
Gudas has one game remaining on his suspension which he will serve tonight, making him eligible to return to Philadelphia’s lineup on Tuesday night against Buffalo. With Manning making his case to stay, Nick Schultz could be the odd man out before too long. The Flyers won’t have to make a roster move to accommodate Gudas returning to game action as he is already part of their active 23-man roster.
[Related: Flyers Depth Chart]
More out of Philadelphia:
- Winger Matt Read, who has been up and down in the lineup in recent years, is off to a strong start this season with five goals in as many games. By comparison, he had just 11 last year and eight the season before that. The 30 year old told CSNPhilly’s Jordan Hall that his early success can be attributed to a willingness to drive towards the net instead of playing on the perimeter as he has in the past. Philadelphia has been rumored to have shopped Read around in the past and with two years to go on a contract worth $3.625MM, he’ll need to keep up his early season performance for a little while yet before any sort of market would open up for him.
- While they were once known as the Broad Street Bullies, this current version of the Flyers won’t be receiving that distinction any time soon. GM Ron Hextall was looking to make the team younger and faster over the offseason (a growing trend in the NHL) but as Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, to do so, the team is currently the smallest in the league. That isn’t to say that the Flyers don’t intend to play physical; forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare believes that smaller players with speed can often make more of an impact physically than bigger but slower skaters. They’re putting that theory into practice as the team currently sits tenth in the league with 115 hits through five games.
- Goaltender Steve Mason will get his third straight start tonight against Montreal despite his struggles on the road dating back to last season. In 2015-16, Mason allowed over a half a goal per game more on the road compared to at home while his save percentage was 17 points lower.
Nikita Tryamkin Will Not Report To The AHL
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin is exercising a clause in his contract to deny Vancouver’s request to send him to the AHL, reports Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun. GM Jim Benning commented on the decision:
“We’ve explored that. We’ve talked to him and his agent and he has said no. In a perfect world, we’d like him to get some games (in the minors). But it is what it is. He is working hard in practice and doing extra work.”
Tryamkin was drafted in the third round (66th overall) by the Canucks in 2014 in his third year of eligibility. He spent parts of the last four years in the KHL before signing a two year, entry-level contract worth $925K per season late last year. The deal contains a European Assignment Clause which means he can veto any attempts to send him to the AHL. Benning noted that the clause was a requirement in order for Tryamkin to sign.
After signing last year, the Canucks put the 6’7 blueliner into the lineup right away, playing in 13 games to finish the season. He had a goal and an assist in those games along with 31 hits and 23 blocked shots while averaging 17:31 per game. However, he has not yet played this season as he sits eighth on the depth chart on Vancouver’s back end.
The team has expressed concern with Tryamkin’s fitness level, something that isn’t going to improve without getting into some game action; there’s only so much work that can be done off the ice. They were hopeful that the 22 year old would be open to a temporary conditioning stint in Utica but it would appear that he’ll remain in the press box in Vancouver until injuries arise, hardly an ideal situation for the Canucks or for Tryamkin.
Christian Ehrhoff Signs In Germany
Unrestricted free agent defenseman Christian Ehrhoff has signed a one year contract with Kolner Haie of the DEL, the German team announced (link in German). Ehrhoff was most recently with the Boston Bruins in training camp but declined a contract offer from the team according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie (links to Twitter) when he learned he would be starting the season as a scratch.
Ehrhoff split last season between Los Angeles and Chicago and spent much of the year in a reserve role, something he didn’t want to repeat again this season which was a key reason why Boston’s offer was declined. Between the Kings and Blackhawks last year, he played in 48 games, collecting 12 points (2-10-12) while playing 15:29 per game, his lowest average since his rookie season back in 2003-04. He also suited up for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey last month, picking up three assists in six games during their surprising run to the finals.
If this is the end of the road for Ehrhoff in terms of playing in the NHL, he’ll leave with 789 games played between the Sharks, Canucks, Sabres, Penguins, Kings, and Blackhawks. He has 74 goals and 265 assists in his career.
Although he won’t be suiting up in the NHL this season, Ehrhoff will still be getting paid this year from Buffalo. The Sabres bought out his 12 year deal back in 2014 and as a result, they will be paying the 34 year old just over $857K per year from now through 2027-28. The team won’t be charged with a cap hit during that time as he was one of their cap-exempt ‘amnesty’ buyouts following the most recent lockout.
Milan Michalek, Jamie McBain, Steve Bernier All Clear Waivers
October 25: Michalek, McBain, and Bernier all cleared waivers, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link).
October 24: The Toronto Maple Leafs have waived winger Milan Michalek while the Arizona Coyotes have placed defenseman Jamie McBain on waivers, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter links). They join Steve Bernier on the waiver wire, whose signing and waiving were reported earlier today.
Michalek was acquired by Toronto last season as a salary throw-in as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade with Ottawa. He played in just 13 games with the Leafs last season, picking up a goal and five assists. He’s off to a quieter start this year, with a goal and an assist in five games while averaging just 14:16 per night, his lowest ice time since his rookie season back in 2003-04 (where he played in just two contests).
For his career, the 31 year old has played in 747 games with the Sharks, Senators, and Maple Leafs. He has 208 goals and 238 assists under his belt as well as four years with 55 or more points, the most recent coming in 2011-12. However, with a salary and cap hit of $4MM, it’s unlikely that any team will claim him, even if they think he could help their team. More likely will be that teams will wait to see if Toronto is willing to retain any salary in a trade for him down the road.
As for McBain, he’s in his first year with the Coyotes after signing a one year, two-way deal early in free agency, one that pays him $650K in the NHL and $300K at the AHL level. He has suited up in three games with Arizona so far this season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 16:40 per game.
After spending the first four years of his career in Carolina, McBain has bounced around in recent years with stints in Buffalo and Los Angeles on top of his time with the Coyotes. He has played in 348 career NHL contests, picking up 30 goals and 80 assists.
The move bodes well for Coyotes rookie blueliner Jakob Chychrun who is now one of seven remaining defensemen with the team. He has played in four games so far and hasn’t looked out of place, picking up three points while logging over 16 minutes per night.
Additionally, Ottawa’s Phil Varone cleared waivers and will be assigned to Binghamton of the AHL.