The first full week of November was a relatively quiet one around the league but there were still a few stories of notes from the past seven days.
Little Back On IR: It has been a tough year for Jets center Bryan Little. He had a concussion to start the season which cost him the first nine games. After returning, he made an immediate impact with five points in seven games. However, he is back on injured reserve after taking a shot to the side of the head that required a trip to the hospital and 25-30 stitches to close up. Little is dealing with vertigo as a result as well as a perforated ear drum. There is no timetable for his return to the lineup.
Global Series Continues: While the NHL continues to be hesitant on shutting their full season down to participate in the Olympics, they aren’t giving up on the Global Series. In advance of puck drop in this year’s event between Buffalo and Tampa Bay in Sweden, the league announced next year’s slate of games. The Bruins and Predators will head overseas for the preseason to Germany and Switzerland, respectively, before playing the season-opener in the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, the Avalanche and Blue Jackets will be playing in Finland with the dates for those games yet to be determined.
Sabres, Hurricanes Shopping Defensemen: There are several teams that will be looking to bolster their back end and it appears as if Buffalo and Carolina are willing to move one. For the Sabres, Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian are getting closer to returning from their injuries which will create a logjam so someone will likely need to be moved unless more injuries strike between now and then. As for Carolina, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Haydn Fleury are on the block with the Hurricanes hoping to land some scoring help in return. While neither are top-four options, they’d bolster the third pairing of quite a few teams around the league which should help attract some interest.
Red Wings/Blues Trade: Robby Fabbri has had a limited role with St. Louis over the last couple of years due to injuries and a general lack of playing time when he was in the lineup. They decided to give the winger a change of scenery, sending him to Detroit in exchange for center Jacob de la Rose. Fabbri made quite the impression with his new team as well as he scored twice in his first game. As for de la Rose, he’ll be counted on to play a checking role with St. Louis and will play an important role right away with Alex Steen out for at least a month.
Stopped Before Ten: The ten-game mark for junior-aged players is an important one as it determines if the player burns the first year of his entry-level deal. While some teams have shown no issue with their players passing it, others remain hesitant. We saw that with a pair of players this past week. Jets defenseman Ville Heinola was sent back to Finland and while he’s eligible to be recalled, it’s highly unlikely he will be so he’ll come up two games short of starting his deal. Meanwhile, the Islanders returned Oliver Wahlstrom to the minors after his ninth game. Unless he lights it up in Bridgeport, it’s likely that he has played his final NHL game of the season and will still have three years left on his deal for next season.
Brian – “shutting their full season down to participate in the Olympics” Their FULL season? Maybe part of the season? Unless the IOC & IIHF want a Winter Olympics that lasts 6-9 months…