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Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Canucks’ Tyler Myers Given Three-Game Suspension

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Jan. 20th: The NHL Department of Player Safety has issued their punishments to McDavid and Myers. Both players have been issued three-game suspensions for cross-checking.

Jan.19th: Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland on Saturday. Garland grappled with McDavid in the final seconds of Vancouver’s 3-2 win, and McDavid responded by hitting Garland in the face. In the ensuing scrum, Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers also cross-checked Oilers defender Evan Bouchard in the face. Myers will also have a hearing with Player Safety. Both McDavid and Myers received match penalties for their infractions. The date and time of either hearing are yet to be determined – as is whether the hearings will be virtual or in-person, which will change the length of suspension both players will be eligible for.

This news brings a peak to McDavid’s recent violent streak. He gained notoriety after, seemingly, inadvertently elbowing Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson in the teams’ January 15th matchup. Johansson was placed on injured reserve with a concussion the next day. McDavid also earned scour with a high-stick against Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek in Saturday’s game, catching the defender up high after breaking into the zone. McDavid’s match penalty for cross-checking Garland was his first in-game penalty for any of these infractions – and, coupled with a game ejection, earned him a career-high 15 penalty minutes in one game.

It will be hard to determine how long either McDavid or Myers could miss with their looming hearing. Both players committed similar infractions, at the tail-end of an already-won game. But nine other players also received penalties for the late-game scrum, which could lead the league to react lighter to two big pieces of a larger scrum. Alternatively, this will be an opportunity for NHL Player Safety to send a message on stick infractions and headshots across the league, by coming down hard on the face of the NHL.

Morning Notes: Halonen, White, Smith

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The New Jersey Devils have reassigned forward Brian Halonen and defenseman Colton White to the AHL’s Utica Comets. Both players served as extras for the team’s last few games. White didn’t step into the lineup at all during his three-day recall, while Halonen appeared in one game during his four days on the NHL roster.

Both players have served at the top of Utica’s lineup for the majority of the season. Halonen is leading the team in goals (13) and tied for the lead in points (21) through 31 games. White has also been productive, with 11 points in 26 games ranking him third on the blue-line in scoring behind Seamus Casey and Simon Nemec. Despite that, neither player has cracked into a routine NHL role. Halonen has earned the first three NHL games of his career between this season and last, though he’s still searching for his first point. White has 84 career NHL games and 10 points, but hasn’t played in the top league since 2022-23. With this move, the duo will return to fighting for a full-time move to the top flight with strong play in the minors.

Across the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes have once again assigned defenseman Ty Smith to the AHL, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Smith has bounced between rosters all season long. He’s ultimately appeared scored two points in eight NHL games, and 10 points in 13 AHL games on the season. Smith has continued to be productive in the minor leagues, after being 43 points in 63 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season. He’s still a swing away from a routine NHL role, especially behind a loaded Hurricanes defense.

Five Key Stories: 1/13/25 – 1/19/25

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Now past the halfway point of the season, the playoff race is truly beginning to take form and deadline rumors are starting to simmer. Some of those notes, along with some notable mid-season injuries, are in our top stories from the last week.

Tavares On The Shelf: Maple Leafs star center John Tavares took a weird fall in practice on Wednesday and hasn’t played since. He landed on injured reserve the next day and will miss at least two more games on top of the two he’s already missed with his right leg injury. He was ruled out week-to-week, so it could be more games than that until Toronto gets their third-leading scorer back in the lineup. Tavares has 20 goals and 42 points in 44 games this season after falling to a 0.81 point-per-game rate in 2023-24.

Jarry To The Farm: Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry’s stock has gone from bad to worse in the second season of his five-year, $26.88MM extension. His .884 SV% through 22 games was enough for the Penguins to risk losing him on waivers, and after no one wanted to pick up the remainder of his deal, he passed through and headed to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for his first extended taste of minor-league play in six years. Jarry did have a sparkling .926 SV% and 4-1-0 record in five appearances for WBS earlier this season on a conditioning loan. Still, the four-time 20-win-getter has failed to convert that momentum into passable play as Pittsburgh’s starter.

Freddie’s Back: After yet another lengthy absence, Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen returned to the lineup this week. He’d been sidelined since late October with a knee issue that ended up requiring surgery in November. He hasn’t played since coming off injured reserve on Friday but could get the nod Monday when Carolina visits the league-worst Blackhawks. Andersen had a .941 SV% in four appearances to begin the season.

Klingberg To The Oilers: After sitting injured for over a calendar year, defenseman John Klingberg is back in the NHL after signing a one-year, $1.35MM pact with the Oilers on Friday. Klingberg, 32, spent last season on a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs but only recorded five assists in 14 games before hip resurfacing surgery ended his campaign. The 2014-15 All-Rookie Team member and six-time 40-point scorer will look to bring his power-play prowess to a weak-ish right side of the Edmonton blue line. He hasn’t hit that 40-point mark since leaving the Stars for the Ducks in the 2022 offseason, however.

Miller Almost Dealt: The simmering trade saga between the Canucks and star center J.T. Miller almost came to a head Saturday night when a reported trade to the Rangers fell through at the last minute, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said. Instead, he skated over 20 minutes – his most in nearly a month – and had a pair of assists as Vancouver upset the Oilers 3-2. Friedman added that while a trade to the Blueshirts hasn’t yet materialized, he believes the Canucks have granted Miller, who carries a full no-move clause, permission to speak to other teams to facilitate a deal. The 31-year-old is in year two of a seven-year, $56MM extension and has 31 points through 35 games, tracking for his first sub-point-per-game season since 2020-21.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Maxwell Crozier, Erik Černák Questionable

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Jan. 18th: According to a team announcement, Tampa Bay has reassigned Crozier to AHL Syracuse. The transaction indicates Černák will be available for tomorrow night’s contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his only game with the Lightning this season, Crozier went scoreless in 14:25 of yesterday’s win against the Detroit Red Wings adding three blocked shots and four hits.

Jan. 17th: The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Maxwell Crozier from the AHL Syracuse Crunch. The move could be an indication that Erik Cernak could be forced to sit out. Cernak left Tampa Bay’s Thursday win over Anahaim after just one shift. His injury has been left undisclosed, though he was designated as out day-to-day per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa Bay drafted Crozier in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He followed his draft selection with four years at Providence College, before turning pro with the Crunch at the end of the 2022-23 season. He’s primarily been a top-four defender in the AHL ever since, though Crozier did accumulate the first 13 games of his NHL career through various recalls last season. He managed two assists in those appearances. Crozier has served as one of Syracuse’s alternate captains this season and has nine points in 22 games. He’s scored eight of those points in his last eight games, putting him on a well-timed hot streak as he now heads to the NHL.

Cernak’s injury will open up upwards of 20 minutes on Tampa Bay’s defense. Darren Raddysh should be the primary beneficiary of those minutes, propping up his top-pair role next to Victor Hedman even more, while Nicklaus Perbix will return to his role in Tampa Bay’s top-four. Both Raddysh and Perbix have outscored Cernak this season, respectively netting 16 and 11 points to Cernak’s 10.

Canucks’ J.T. Miller Trade Falls Through, Elias Pettersson Wants To Stay

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The Vancouver Canucks are at an impasse with star forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Both players are amidst deep cold spells, inspired by an off-ice rift and resulting in plenty of trade rumors. The team took one step forward in figuring out their plan with the duo on Saturday when Miller was nearly held out of Vancouver’s lineup to support a trade to the New York Rangers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The deal fell through and Miller ended up playing in Vancouver’s 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. He contributed two primary points in the effort, his first scoring since he managed four points on January 6th.

Miller’s dwindling impact has become a focal point of Vancouver’s 4-6-0 skid. Head coach Rick Tocchet shared harsh words after benching the forward, insinuating that he had quit on his teammates amid another tough loss. Miller has seen his numbers crater since the calendar turned over. He has seven points in nine games – most among any Canucks forwards – but he only scored in three of those outings. Miller has also posted a 40% goals-for percentage (GF%), the third-lowest of Vancouver’s top-six forwards behind Pettersson (25%) and Jake DeBrusk (33.3%).

While theatrics surround him, Miller is still an incredibly impactful forward. He has 31 points in 35 games this season, putting him on an 82-game pace of 73 points. That would be the lowest scoring Miller has managed in a full season since the 2019-20 campaign when he notched 72 points in his first year with the Canucks. He’s since been red-hot – recording 99 points in 2021-22, 82 points in 2022-23, and a career-high 103 points in 2023-24. No other Canuck has come close to Miller’s 433 points in 399 games since he joined the team, with Quinn Hughes’ 380 points in 401 games and Pettersson’s 375 points in as many games the next closest.

That would be an invaluable impact for the Rangers to acquire. They’re in the midst of their own chaotic season, with similar rifts and trade rumors surrounding longtime Rangers Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. A swap for Miller would likely have to involve one of those two, though Vancouver would need substantially more behind them to warrant moving their team’s top-scoring forward. The Rangers have enticing prospects in the gritty Brennan Othmann and ever-improving Gabe Perreault, but their depth falls quickly thin behind them. Perhaps it was the challenge of figuring out complimentary pieces that ultimately pulled the rug from under the trade talks.

Nonetheless, this news is a sign of progress being made in moving Miller out of Vancouver. He’ll be one of the biggest names to watch as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches on March 7th. Meanwhile, Pettersson is leaning towards sticking with the program that bet on him so many years ago. Vancouver drafted Pettersson fifth-overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. He joined the team two seasons later, and won the Calder Trophy for ’Rookie of the Year’ with 28 goals and 66 points in 71 games. He matched the scoring in three fewer games in his following year, after improved on it slightly in year-four after year-three was limited by injuries.

That all set up Pettersson for a smash season in the 2022-23 campaign, when he scored a career-high 39 goals and 102 points. It was the fifth-most a Canucks player has scored since the turn of the century – behind the Sedin twins, Markus Naslund, and Miller. While Miller has taken to dazzling scoring, Pettersson has donned the role of face of the franchise next to Hughes. Vancouver seems poised to hold onto that duo, while trimming off negative impacts, with this latest update.

In one additional note, Friedman also shared that Vancouver sent a clear message to teams to not tamper with their players – and that any teams wishing to talk to Miller or Pettersson would need approval first. It is believed that a few teams have been granted permission to talk with Miller, but none are currently speaking with Pettersson. Both forwards are signed for the forseeable future – Petterson signed through 2031-32 with a $11.6MM cap hit, and Miller signed through 2029-30 with a surprisingly-cheap $8MM price tag.

Devils Place Erik Haula On IR, Recall Colton White

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1/18: Halonen has been returned to the NHL roster and will step into the lineup on Saturday, per James Nichols. Nichols also shared that the team is also anticipating the return of Noesen, who should return to his premier role in the middle-six.

1/17: The New Jersey Devils have moved centerman Erik Haula to injured reserve retroactive to January 4th, when Haula suffered an ankle sprain in a loss to the San Jose Sharks. He has missed five games since then. In a corresponding move, New Jersey has also recalled defenseman Colton White from the AHL’s Utica Comets. White’s recall gives New Jersey a seventh defenseman ahead of their pair of home games this weekend.

Haula is joined on the absentee list by fellow middle-six forward Stefan Noesen – who has missed the Devils’ last two games with illness. The duo’s absence has weighed heavily on a Devils team whose lack of depth is quickly becoming apparent. Noesen has far-and-away been the more productive of the pair, so far posting 28 points in 45 games this season. He’s only nine points shy of passing the career-high 37 points he scored last season – a mark he should smash, even despite missing time recently.

Haula only has 11 points on the year to match, a far step down from his point totals over the last three seasons. He has managed 44, 41, and 35 points in the last three seasons respectively – the first coming with Boston and the latter two in New Jersey. Haula’s ability to produce from down the depth chart has been a vital piece to keeping the Devils’ offense cohesive. New Jersey hasn’t found a replacement for that production with Haula lacking, and aren’t likely to find further help in his absence.

Finally, depth winger Brian Halonen has been reassigned to the Utica Comets in a paper transaction, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. Halonen has posted a serviceable 13 goals and 21 points in 31 AHL games this season, but is still searching for his first NHL point after two scoreless games last season.

Bruins Notes: Kastelic, Lindholm, Koepke

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The Boston Bruins received a handful of injury updates at Friday morning’s practice. Most pressing, winger Mark Kastelic returned to full practices and could possibly return to the lineup when the Bruins visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. In a video posted on the team’s social media, Kastelic told media after practice that he’s hoping to return, but doesn’t want to rush anything. Kastelic has missed Boston’s last two games with an upper-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve on January 14th.

This is already Kastelic’s second injury of the season. He previously missed three days with a lower-body injury in November. He has been a key piece of Boston’s third line when healthy, recording 12 points in 43 games and averaging 11:19 in ice time this season. Kastelic is in his first season with the Bruins, after joining the team in the trade that sent Linus Ullmark to Ottawa. The change of scenery came with a boosted role – bumping Kastelic up after three years on Ottawa’s fourth-line. He’s clearly satisfied the Bruins’ expectations, earning a three-year, $4.7MM extension with the club earlier this month. Kastelic fell to injury just a few games after signing that deal, meaning a return from injury will mean a return to vindicating his new price tag.

In other Bruins news, top defender Hampus Lindholm returned to practice in a non-contact jersey on Friday, shares Joe Haggerty of the Boston Sports Journal. Lindholm has missed Boston’s last 29 games after he suffered a lower-body injury on November 12th. He was one of the Bruins’ most-utilized defenders in November, averaging 22:44 in ice time in his last four games before injury. Lindholm also managed seven points in 17 games, putting him on pace for 34 points across 82 games before he fell for the long-term. That total would have stood as the third-highest scoring season of Lindholm’s 12-year career. This news marks one step closer to Lindholm working back into the role of routine scoring and top-pair minutes.

Finally, Haggerty shared that forward Cole Koepke won’t play in the team’s Saturday game, per head coach Joe Sacco. Koepke sustained an injury with 10 minutes left in Boston’s Tuesday win over Tampa Bay, after taking a big hit from Bolts defenseman Darren Raddysh. Koepke immediately left for the locker room. Raddysh did not receive a penalty on the play. Koepke has so far been designated as day-to-day, though no specifics of his injury have been revealed. He’s also rotated through Boston’s middle-six this season, netting 12 points in 44 games while averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time each game. This is Koepke’s first full season on an NHL lineup, after combining for three points in 26 games with Tampa Bay over the last two seasons.

Islanders’ Maxim Tsyplakov Suspended Three Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety has issued New York Islanders winger Maxim Tsyplakov a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers winger Ryan Poehling on Tuesday night. The hit came in the latter half of the first period, with Tsyplakov flying into Poehling while he was crashing the net. Poehling left the game with a head injury, which NHL Player Safety points to as part of the reason why first-time offender Tsyplakov received a multi-game suspension. He did not receive a penalty during the game.

Additionally, Flyers center Scott Laughton has been fined $5K, the most allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Tsyplakov in retaliation later in the game. Laughton cross-checked Tsyplakov in the back after he made a pass in the offensive end.

The aftermath of the chippy game, which ended in a Flyers win, will see the Islanders move forward without their third-line left wing. Tsyplakov has had a successful rookie season with New York. He has 19 points through 44 games, ranked sixth among all first-year players. The 26-year-old winger signed with the Islanders as an undrafted free agent this summer after spending the last seven seasons with Moscow Spartak of Russia’s KHL. Tsyplakov climbed every wrung of Spartak’s lineup, ultimately working his way up to a top-line role and 47 points in 65 games last season. He’s rotated through the Islanders’ middle-six in his first NHL season, ultimately averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time each game – seventh-most among New York’s forwards.

The Islanders will likely turn towards Hudson Fasching in Tsyplakov’s absence. Fasching has served as New York’s extra forward this season and hasn’t played a game since January 5th. He’s totaled 19 appearances but is still searching for his first point of the season.

Devils Looking To Add A Center

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Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic sat down with New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald to discuss what the team is looking to do before the NHL Trade Deadline. Fitzgerald mentioned that he has an open mind at this point, but that the pro scouting department has identified the center position as an area of need. The news isn’t all that surprising, given that the Devils were linked to Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans just a week ago.

Fitzgerald has been looking at potential trade options and has reportedly already started calling teams to see who might be available. Centers are always in demand, and as Fitzgerald points out in the interview, you can never have enough of them. The Devils could certainly use some depth scoring in their forward group as it remains one of their few weaknesses, and if they can’t acquire a center, they may need to settle for a winger.

LeBrun points out that possible targets include Ryan O’Reilly, Yanni Gourde, and Scott Laughton. Gourde would be a rental as his contract expires at the end of the season, while O’Reilly has two years remaining on his deal at a cap hit of $4.5MM, and Laughton has one year left on his deal. Fitzgerald said he was open to acquiring either a rental or a player with term and would look at both options in his hunt for a center.

The Devils have made many changes over the last year, addressing their goaltending and defense last summer while tinkering with other parts of their roster. They are certainly one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference and could very well put themselves over the top in the next few weeks if they can address their depth scoring and add the center they desire.

Wild Place Kirill Kaprizov On LTIR, Marcus Johansson On IR

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5:30 PM: Minnesota has additionally placed Kirill Kaprizov on retroactive long-term injured reserve. He will be eligible to return as soon as he’s back to full health. In addition, Minnesota has recalled forwards Liam Ohgren and Brendan Gaunce – bringing them to a full roster ahead of Saturday’s game against Nashville.

4:00 PM: The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Marcus Johansson on injured reserve with an upper-body injury believed to be a concussion, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johansson suffered the injury when Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid discretely elbowed him in the head in the two sides’ Wednesday night matchup. The infraction did not result in a penalty during the game, nor any response from NHL Player Safety afterward. Johansson was helped off the ice following the hit, ending his night late in the second period. Tensions flared in response to the incident, not helped along by the fact that referee Chris Lee told Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek – who didn’t see the initial hit – that Johansson struck himself in the face with his own stick, per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News.

Johansson will now head to IR for the first time this season. He’s been one of the few regulars in Minnesota’s injury-strewn year, and even then still missed one of the team’s 45 games this season with an upper-body injury in October. Consistency hasn’t meant high scoring for Johansson, who sits with just five goals and 16 points on the season. That puts him on pace for 30 points through 82 games this season, which would tie Johansson’s scoring total from last year. Johansson has continued to fill a serviceable middle-six role for the Wild, averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time.

This will be yet another injury for the Minnesota Wild to bear through. They’re already missing a chunk of the top of their lineup, including going without Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Brock Faber for at least the last four games. Their silver lining is the return of winger Jakub Lauko, who was activated off of long-term injured reserve earlier on Thursday after missing Minnesota’s last 15 games with a lower-body injury. Lauko’s injury, suffered on December 15th, came just over a week after he was activated off of IR from a previous injury, which had him on the shelf from November 26th to December 9th.

Lauko has only appeared in 24 games this season as a result of the back-to-back injuries. He has two goals, six points, and 16 penalty minutes in that span – continuing his lack of scoring from his 10-point season last year. He’s been a true fourth-line forward for the Wild, but might be called upon to help support the middle-six in Johansson’s absence.

After Johansson’s IR placement, Minnesota will move forward down two forwards. The Athletic’s Russo shares that he’s expecting the team to make a call-up in response, but their cap situation will make even that process stressful. Russo points out that Minnesota would exceed the salary cap by recalling two forwards, and may need to retroactively place Kaprizov on LTIR to open their finances. Minnesota could also turn towards an emergency call-up, but would first need to play a game without a full roster. The former option certainly seems more feasible, with Minnesota then likely to turn towards their cheaper options in the minor leagues. Travis Boyd, Ben Jones, Michael Milne, Brendan Gaunce, and Devin Shore all carry league-minimum ($775K) cap hits and have been previously called up at some point this season. They could make up the list of top options this week, while players like Liam Ohgren and Riley Heidt will be pricier, but more high-upside, bets.

Minnesota’s next game will come on Saturday, when they travel to Nashville to take on the struggling Predators. The Wild have set a 2-3-0 in their last five games while grappling with major injuries.

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