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Preseason Notes: Carcone, Oilers Injuries, Canadiens Injuries

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The NHL Department of Player Safety is getting their preseason’s worth of action in, too. They announced today that Arizona Coyotes forward Michael Carcone was fined the maximum allowable under the CBA ($2,027.03) for roughing Vegas Golden Knights forward Gage Quinney during last night’s game.

Quinney did not return to last night’s game after taking a high hit from Carcone. He immediately left the ice after the hit and went to the team’s dressing room near the end of the second period. Carcone received a penalty on the play. A 26-year-old minor-league veteran, Carcone played his first 21 NHL games last year with the Coyotes, registering six points.

  • There’s some good news and bad news on the injury front for the Edmonton Oilers. TSN’s Jason Gregor reports that winger Kailer Yamamoto is banged up, but that his injury is nothing serious and he could be ready for the team’s final preseason game on Friday. However, winger Tyler Benson isn’t so lucky, as Gregor reports he’ll be out “longer” and the team will know more in the coming days. Benson was a candidate to find a spot in the team’s bottom-six out of camp.
  • The Montreal Canadiens provided a medical update today, saying captain Nick Suzuki is remaining in Montreal for treatment along with forwards Joel Armia and Emil Heineman. All three have upper-body injuries and, Suzuki is listed as day-to-day. The Canadiens say the trio will be reevaluated on Monday, two days ahead of the season opener.

 

Waivers: 10/05/22

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Another large group of players finds themselves on waivers today, hoping to get picked up by an NHL roster. The AHL awaits most that clear, though placement on the wire doesn’t necessarily indicate assignment to the minor leagues. Some players will clear just to give their team a little more roster flexibility over the next few weeks. Everyone from yesterday has cleared, and waivers today include:

Carolina Hurricanes

Ryan Dzingel
Maxime Lajoie
Lane Pederson
Stelio Mattheos
Mackenzie MacEachern

Minnesota Wild

Brandon Baddock

New York Islanders

Dennis Cholowski
Cory Schneider
Parker Wotherspoon
Hudson Fasching
Arnaud Durandeau
Cole Bardreau
Andy Andreoff

Philadelphia Flyers

Adam Brooks
Max Willman
Louis Belpedio

This page will be updated as more reports come in

Dylan Coghlan Leaves Game With Injury

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dylan Coghlan will not return to tonight’s preseason matchup against the Buffalo Sabres with a lower-body injury, according to Hurricanes PR.

Coghlan, 24, is entering his first season in the Hurricanes organization. Carolina acquired him, along with the currently-injured Max Pacioretty, from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations when free agency opened on July 13, 2022.

Last season, Coghlan set career highs in games played (59), assists (10), and points (13) while playing his first season as a full-time NHLer. He was a member of the Golden Knights organization from 2017 onwards when he signed there as an undrafted free agent after putting together 15 goals, 38 assists, and 53 points in 71 games with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans in 2016-17. Coghlan turned pro in 2018-19, joining the AHL’s Chicago Wolves – Vegas’ affiliate at the time – where he led all rookie defensemen in goals with 15.

With the Golden Knights’ bevy of injuries last season, Coghlan had an extended opportunity to get into games in Vegas, serving mostly a bottom-pairing role. He had solid possession numbers in his first full showing, posting a 53.1% Corsi for at five-on-five. He’s a candidate to get some potential power-play minutes, potentially filling some of the offensive void left by Tony DeAngelo’s departure, although the majority of that responsibility will fall on Brent Burns.

Needless to say, with Coghlan battling from the bottom of the lineup, missed time during camp is never a great thing for someone in that position. He’s still likely penciled in for a bottom-pairing role, even if he misses time, but it does hamper his adjustment period to his new team. Hopefully, for Coghlan and the Hurricanes, he hasn’t suffered a longer-term issue.

Camp Notes: Duhaime/Dewar, Reichel, Malone

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Excitement surrounds the Minnesota Wild yet again, as young players like Calen Addison and 2020 ninth-overall pick Marco Rossi are expected to become important contributors to the team this season. Rossi, a center, still needs to work his way up the depth chart though, and he’s meshing on a prospective fourth line with wingers Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar, notes The Athletic’s Michael Russo.

It may seem odd to have a player with Rossi’s skill level playing that low in the lineup (and with players like Duhaime’s more physical playstyle). But evidently, the line has played so well in training camp that Rossi hasn’t even gotten a look between Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy on the team’s second scoring line, according to Russo. Rossi is looking to make a Calder Trophy push after scoring 53 points in 63 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild last year. Dewar has also demonstrated a solid scoring touch in the minors, so some chemistry there is more realistic than most would think. With Duhaime’s imposing presence, it could make for a well-blended, two-way fourth line in Minnesota this season.

  • Many expected top Chicago Blackhawks prospect Lukas Reichel to win a spot on the team out of camp, but it wasn’t to be, as the team sent him down to AHL Rockford earlier today. The Athletic’s Scott Powers notes that it’s not an indication that the organization thinks Reichel isn’t NHL-ready, but rather, that the team doesn’t see him as a fit in their top six at this time. The Blackhawks believe that top minutes in Rockford are more beneficial to Reichel’s development than more limited minutes in the NHL at this time.
  • Buffalo Sabres forward Sean Malone is on waivers today, but don’t expect any NHL team to claim him, says Buffalo News Sports’ Mike Harrington. Malone, an AHL veteran, is day-to-day and is still dealing with a “lingering injury” from an August procedure. The 27-year-old Malone has just two NHL games under his belt but has developed into a top-line AHL player in recent years.

Evening Notes: League Business, Vegas Injuries, Pesce, Forward Market

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After seeing the NHL’s record-breaking revenue for the 2021-22 season, the financial state of the league, a little over two years after being forced to shut down temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is as healthy as ever. Because of that, teams have been told to prepare for a large cap increase, and one that could potentially come sooner than expected. With the rise in revenue, a rise in prominent advertisements has become apparent too, one which many fans are not too thrilled about. Earlier today, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman discussed several topics related to the state of the league and its finances with Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal. In the interview, Bettman discussed revenue, new digital advertising on boards, jersey advertisements, the Arizona Coyotes arena situation, TV deals, growing the game internationally, and the future of the World Cup of Hockey.

Notably, Bettman detailed how the league plans to continue growing its revenue, specifically by utilizing technology, especially when it comes to advertising, engaging with fans more on social media, and using their television platforms to grow the game. On the new digitally enhanced dasherboards (“DED’s”), Bettman noted that the technology was not cheap to develop, but sees potential revenue growth from this alone to be in “the hundreds of millions.” In regards to the recent addition of jersey advertisements that have been met with it’s fair share of public criticism, Bettman appeared to understand the public’s distaste, calling himself a traditionalist, but cited the immense revenue growth as a reason to press on. The Commissioner added that although the market is “vibrant” for the jersey advertisements, the league has urged clubs to take their time picking a sponsor, urging them to find the “right partner” and get full value.

The entirety of Bettman’s answers, as well as his discussion on several other topics, can be found in the full discussion with Silverman.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have injury updates on a pair of key players. According to Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy, as reported by Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, forward William Carrier is unlikely to play in preseason games this upcoming week as he continues to deal with an upper-body injury he suffered a week ago. On a more positive note, goaltender Laurent Brossoit, who is recovering from hip surgery, was able to skate on his own, however he still has yet to be cleared to join the rest of the team. Even without star goaltender Robin Lehner for this season, after acquiring Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks and having breakout netminder Logan Thompson in the fold, Vegas can afford to be patient with Brossoit as he makes his way back.
  • There’s some reason for concern for the Carolina Hurricanes with the team announcing defenseman Brett Pesce would not return to tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after suffering a lower-body injury. It’s unclear what caused the injury or how severe it is, but losing a key piece such as Pesce for any stretch of time surely puts Carolina in a difficult position.
  • On today’s 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman touched on a pair of teams who could be in the market for additional help up front if the opportunity should arise: the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild. Friedman mentions the Flames as a team who may want to add another scorer into the mix if they don’t believe the players in camp with them now can be that player. In addition to several intriguing prospects, Calgary has veterans Sonny Milano and Cody Eakin in camp on PTOs with the team having $1.487MM in available cap space. Worth considering, the Flames did claim forward Radim Zohorna off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier today. Also mentioned were the Wild, who dealt star winger Kevin Fiala, knowing their cap situation would likely prevent them from signing him long-term. Ultimately, they’re left with $5.738MM in cap space and needing to recover at least some of what they lost in Fiala, who posted 85 points in 82 games last season.

Snapshots: Ferland, Coyotes Injuries, Maple Leafs, Brassard

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There’s really no way around it: expectations are high for the Vancouver Canucks this season. After a slow start to the 2021-22 season, the team fired head coach Travis Green and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau and proceeded to go on a sensational run that took them from the NHL’s basement to the fringes of a playoff spot. This offseason, the organization made moves to build upon the core they had and solidify it in the long-term, adding forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev, then extending J.T. Miller. After all is said and done, the team finds itself $2.75MM over the salary cap ceiling. However, that is without factoring in injured forward Michael Ferland, who holds a $3.5MM cap hit for this season. While the team could utilize LTIR for Ferland and be alright, Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff says Vancouver prefers not to go that route.

Instead, Seravalli says, the Canucks are actively looking to move Ferland’s contract. The reason for doing so is two-fold: one, Vancouver would prefer not to operate in LTIR, and two, because Ferland is injured, the insurance on the contract will not kick-in and whatever team has Ferland will have to pay the entirety of the $2.75MM in salary remaining on his deal. Though there are some teams that would actually benefit from taking on Ferland’s contract for salary cap purposes, similar to the Vegas Golden Knights acquiring Shea Weber this summer, Seravalli says the $2.75MM of real money owed is likely acting as a barrier to getting a deal done and would force the Canucks to give something up to move Ferland. The 30-year-old wing signed a four-year, $14MM deal with the Canucks during the 2019 offseason, but has managed to play just 14 games in that span, all coming in the first half of the 2019-20 season.

  • The Arizona Coyotes received some relatively good news today on the injury front, as forwards Nick Schmaltz and Ben McCartney, as well as defenseman Cam Dineen have all been listed as day-to-day with lower body injuries says PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan. No team wants any of it’s players to be injured, however having all three be limited to just day-to-day status is a positive sign. The Coyotes play their next preseason game Tuesday in Vegas, and it’s unclear as of yet whether any of the three will be able to participate. For Schmaltz, who has a prominent roster spot secured, missing tomorrow night’s action wouldn’t be a major setback, but for Dineen and McCartney, who are both battling for roles in the organization, a missed opportunity in the preseason is far from ideal.
  • Speaking of injuries, after the Toronto Maple Leafs found out that depth defensemen Jordie Benn and Carl Dahlstrom would miss time, the former set to miss three weeks an the latter set to miss six months, the team was rumored to be in contact with several defensemen who were in NHL camps on PTO’s. Thus far, that has not come to fruition and in the past few days, several defenseman on PTO’s, including Nathan Beaulieu, Calvin de Haan, and Scott Harrington, signed with the teams they were trying out with. On today’s 32 Thoughts Podcast featuring Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Friedman cleared the air on these rumors, believing that the Maple Leafs had not been in on any of these defensemen, as the team would also like to sign forward Zach Aston-Reese, who is in camp with Toronto on a PTO.. Still, Friedman adds that the team could instead try to move one of its depth forwards out in exchange for a defenseman who is either waiver exempt or has already cleared. Right now, Toronto sits just below $2.9MM over the salary cap ceiling after re-signing defenseman Rasmus Sandin.
  • If Derick Brassard can catch on with the Ottawa Senators this season, it will mark his eighth different team since Ottawa dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins mid-way through the 2017-18 season. Once a dynamic offensive threat in the top-six group of the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and the Senators, Brassard has become a veteran journeyman capable of playing whatever role his team needs, anywhere in the lineup. Earlier today on TSN 1200 in Ottawa, Brassard mentioned that he would like to try to play a similar role to the one Jason Spezza played with the Maple Leafs the past few seasons, one which was to be deployed in a myriad of different situations as his team saw fit. The Hull, Quebec native added that when the offseason began, his primary focus was on joining the Ottawa Senators and hadn’t thought much about other options. Brassard has of course been playing that role for a few seasons now, but being able to do so with a team so close to home as they turn the corner from rebuilder to contender, just as Spezza did, seems like a no-brainer if he can secure the opportunity.

Seattle Kraken Sign Daniel Sprong

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Finally, a player has converted on his PTO, receiving an NHL contract. The Seattle Kraken today signed winger Daniel Sprong to a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23 worth $750,000. PuckPedia adds that his minors salary is $325,000.

Sprong, 25, will get a second look in the Kraken lineup after playing in 16 games for them last season. Acquired from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline (along with a 2022 fourth-round pick and 2023 sixth-round pick) for Marcus Johansson, Sprong had six goals and no assists down the stretch for the expansion Kraken. It was the third time Sprong had been traded in his young, yet bumpy career.

Hailing from Amsterdam, the Dutch forward was drafted 46th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. While he hasn’t been able to make it stick with one team, Sprong’s provided solid depth scoring wherever he’s gone. He’s scored 14, 13, and 14 goals in his last three full NHL seasons. He played just eight games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2019-20, instead spending significant time with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.

Sprong will need to work hard to crack what’s a considerably deeper Kraken forward core this season, especially on the wing. The additions of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Andre Burakovsky at the top make the Kraken’s top six more compelling, but it’s scorers like Sprong who will be relied upon to generate depth offense in The Deep this season.

Central Notes: Blues Hall of Fame, Coyotes Hires, Lambert

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This morning, the St. Louis Blues took a big step in honoring their storied franchise history. The team announced the establishment of the Blues Hall of Fame, created to “recognize franchise legends.” The inaugural class will be announced on Opening Night for the team; which is October 15, hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The release notes that the Blues Hall of Fame won’t just be limited to players. The franchise’s internal upper echelon will also be open to coaches, managers, and broadcasters “that have made a profound impact on the franchise,” per the team. Members will be added to the Hall of Fame each season, with voting occurring during the offseason. Members of the Blues Hall of Fame committee, current and former members of the Blues organization, Blues alumni members, media members, and Blues fans will be able to nominate people for consideration each year. Eight players will be inducted automatically as their numbers have been retired by the team – Al MacInnis, Bob Gassoff, Bob Plager, Barclay Plager, Brian Sutter, Brett Hull, Bernie Federko, and Chris Pronger. Original owner Sid Salomon Jr. and broadcaster Dan Kelly will also be inaugural members.

  • Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong announced today that the team is adding Kurtis Foster and Jeff Shantz to the team’s player development department as coaches. The duo of former NHLers will work under another former NHLer in Lee Stempniak, who remains the team’s director of player development. Foster played in 405 NHL games from 2002 to 2013 and served as an associate coach for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last year. Shantz, 48, has only had coaching experience in U15 leagues and last played NHL hockey in 2003, with a career in Europe that extended to 2011.
  • As reported by TSN’s John Lu, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness today commented on 2022 first-round pick Brad Lambert, whose opening night spot “has yet to be determined.” He went on to say that Lambert’s skating and speed are NHL-ready, but is unsure about his ability to elevate his intensity and decision-making to NHL standards at this time. Lambert, who’s still just 18, slipped to the Jets at 30th overall after scoring 10 points in 49 Liiga games last season.

Looking For A Partner In An Anton Khudobin Trade

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It’s not much of a secret that the Dallas Stars would be interested in moving Anton Khudobin. That desire isn’t for a lack of liking the player or appreciating the tremendous run he went on over the COVID-shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, as well as a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020 bubble. Instead, the team has just over $7MM left in salary cap space and still needs to re-sign breakout superstar winger Jason Robertson. The remaining $7MM could, technically, be enough to sign Robertson, but clearing some, or ideally all, of Khudobins”s $3.33M cap hit would make it not only much easier to re-sign the forward, but could allow Dallas to negotiate it’s way into a max-term deal.

The problem for Dallas is that trading Khudobin is easier said than done. For one, finding a team that is interested in a goaltender who’s dealt with injuries for much of the last year who is owed a $3.75MM salary (and $3.33MM cap hit) would be difficult. Second, even if a match is found, it’s clear this would be a cap-dump and Dallas is already in a tough position with Robertson still not in camp. If Dallas wants to make that deal, they’ll have to pay the market price to do so, but before going that far, let’s take a look at their options and who Dallas could turn to.

Bury The Contract

If the Stars are unwilling to pay the price to move Khudobin, or if they genuinely cannot find a suitor, one option would be burying Khudobin’s contract in the minors. Under the terms of the current CBA, teams can bury a player and their cap hit in the minor leagues and recoup $1.125MM against the salary cap. By doing this, Dallas would give itself $8.21MM in cap space with which to re-sign Robertson. That figure might be just enough to get a deal done with Robertson, but with little coming out of the Dallas or Robertson camps when it comes to any specific figures and considering the recent contracts given to Jack Hughes, Tim Stutzle, Joshua Norris, Robert Thomas, and Jordan Kyrou, it’s not hard to believe that $8MM AAV, whether on a long or short-term deal, is only the starting point in these negotiations.

Potential Need:

Philadelphia Flyers: When talking about teams who could take on a salary-cap trade, generally the obvious rebuilding clubs with plenty of space come to mind, and that’s no exception for Khudobin. However, some would argue the Flyers aren’t in that same position, having not committed to the rebuild and without a ton of cap space. Right now, the team is just under $2.4MM over the salary cap ceiling. But, factoring in the expected LTIR stints of forward Sean Couturier and defenseman Ryan Ellis, they will be left with a little over $11.6MM available.

In net, the Flyers will rely on young netminder Carter Hart to make a bulk of the starts and an apparent backup slotted in with Felix Sandstrom. However, with Sandstrom suffering an injury in yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins, the organization may find itself in need of another goaltender beyond Troy Grosenick and Samuel Ersson. More impactful though, would be the ability to have Sandstrom continue his development by making the bulk of starts in the AHL and allowing Khudobin to backup Hart.

Minnesota Wild: Another peculiar team on this list, the Wild made their way into this offseason with a goaltending glut and cap issues of their own, issues which necessitated the trade of star winger Kevin Fiala and goaltender Cam Talbot. But, now, they could be a fit for a Khudobin trade. Today, the Wild have roughly $5.74MM in cap space, enough to acquire Khudobin outright. The team projects to start the legendary Marc-Andre Fleury in net, backstopped by a young Filip Gustavsson. The younger goaltender has 27 games of NHL experience under his belt, but has struggled to an extent in that time. Should the Wild want to see him continue his development in the AHL and have a veteran backstop for Fleury, taking on Khudobin might make sense. Still, the Wild had to make tough sacrifices to be cap compliant, namely Fiala, so relying on Gustavsson and looking to use their cap room to address other needs could be the more prudent option.

Cap Room To Give:

More than a few teams have the room to take on Khudobin’s contract; in fact, Robertson aside, the Stars are one of them. But, there are only a handful that not only have the room, but are in the position to do so.

Chicago Blackhawks: With $7.54MM in available cap space, the Blackhawks could afford to take on Khudobin’s contract with ease. An issue with doing so for Chicago is, given their rebuild and desire to stockpile draft picks, they will likely want to make as many cap-trades of this nature as possible. Acquiring Khudobin would bring them to just over $4.2MM in available cap space, making trades of this nature a bit more difficult, at least for this season. Moving one or both of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would free up some space, but the team will likely be expected to retain significant portions of their salary.

Anaheim Ducks: Clocking in with $15.75MM in available cap space, acquiring Khudobin would be no issue for Anaheim. But, this Ducks team, unlike the Blackhawks above, is no longer in the depths of their rebuild. Making a trade of this sort is still possible, but considering where the Ducks stand, holding on to as much of their cap space as they can to see if they may wish to buy at this year’s trade deadline might make the most sense. If the team finds it’s not in that position yet, they can still utilize their cap space to aid other teams (for a price) at that time. Also at issue is the team’s goaltending situation as it stands now. Of course, John Gibson is not going anywhere, and behind him, Anthony Stolarz has proven to be an incredibly sound backup. Anaheim could bury Khudobin in the AHL, but would presumably like to give the overwhelming majority of the playing time there to promising young netminder Lukas Dostal, as well as Olle Eriksson Ek.

Buffalo Sabres: Like the Ducks, the Sabres are looking to turn a corner this year and take the next step, whether that’s a playoff spot or at least putting up a fight for one. That wouldn’t necessarily mean they aren’t interested in utilizing their league-best $20.54MM in cap space to their benefit, however it might not be top of mind. In addition to that, Buffalo has an even more crowded net than Anaheim. The team projects to rely on veterans Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie in net after waiving Malcolm Subban earlier today. Even if Subban were to be claimed, the development of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the AHL is of great importance to Buffalo.

The Arizona Coyotes:

Given that the Coyotes are in a full rebuild and set to play at least the next two seasons at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena, their $19.47MM in cap space, and their well-documented desire for goaltending, a deal sending Khudobin to Arizona seems obvious. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong has made clear this offseason he would continue to monitor the goaltending market, whether that be in free agency, the waiver wire, or via trade. Arizona has acted on it thus far, signing Jon Gillies, offering a PTO to Christopher Gibson (who has since been released), and most recently claiming Jonas Johansson off of waivers. Even after claiming Johansson, Armstrong reiterated his commitment to monitoring the goaltending market.

As of today, Arizona currently has Karel Vejmelka, Ivan Prosvetov, Johansson, and Gillies all under contract and with NHL experience. Adding Khudobin into the fold would make an already crowded situation more so, but would give the Coyotes a veteran netminder who could serve to mentor their less experienced ones. Worth noting as well, the Coyotes have been in this situation more than a couple of times and know what they can get in exchange for their cap help. Most recently, they acquired second and third round draft picks and swapped the 32nd overall pick in 2022 for the 29th overall pick to take on the contract of forward Zack Kassian from the Edmonton Oilers. What the price for Khudobin would be is unclear, but this sort of trade has paid dividends for the Coyotes before.

Boris Katchouk Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced this afternoon forward Boris Katchouk is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a left ankle sprain. Katchouk, 24, was injured in yesterdays preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings, leaving without returning. The injury appeared to happen as Katchouk took a hit behind the net and subsequently fell to the ice.

Although the injury is tough news for Chicago and for Katchouk, who had been playing well this preseason, it could open the door for a young forward to draw into the lineup. Known as a key physical presence whenever he is in the lineup, Katchouk made his NHL debut last season as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he played 38 games prior to being dealt to the Blackhawks in the Brandon Hagel trade. Once he returns, Katchouk should have plenty of opportunities to shine as a part of a rebuilding Blackhawks roster.

Also as part of the Blackhawks announcement, forward Jujhar Khaira is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury of his own. Khaira’s status is a relief for both team and player considering the 28-year-old missed two-thirds of last season due to injury.  Much like Katchouk, Khaira doesn’t bring incredible offensive talent, but when healthy contributes to the physical side of the game, which should prove important to this year’s Blackhawks.

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