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Morning Notes: Peeke, Pionk, Goncalves, Kastelic, Tufte

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The Boston Bruins will soon receive some relief on the blue-line, with defenseman Andrew Peeke returning to the team’s practices per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. Peeke hasn’t played since leaving Boston’s November 5th match against Toronto following a hit from Max Pacioretty that seemed to bounce Peeke’s shoulder awkwardly off the boards. He was ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body injury soon after, though participating in practice marks a big step in his path back to the lineup. Peeke isn’t expected to play in Boston’s Monday game against Columbus but could suit up when the team hosts Utah on Thursday.

Peeke was joined on the shelf by Hampus Lindholm, who’s week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The pair of absences quickly drained Boston’s top-four of its impactful, defensive stalwarts. Peeke rotated through the lineup when healthy, serving anywhere from 13 minutes in a sheltered role to 20 minutes on the top pair. He’s recorded two assists, 18 hits, and 21 blocked shots in 13 games. While not a thrilling stat line, Boston has felt every bit of Peeke’s absence – averaging the fifth-highest goals-against per-game (3.60 in five games) since he left the lineup. Upcoming matchups against Columbus, Utah, and Detroit should give Boston a chance to ease Peeke back into the lineup.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been fined $5K, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for “clipping” Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist on Saturday. Pionk went in for a hip-check but caught more of Boqvist’s knee than anything else. No penalty was issued for the hit. Boqvist nursed his left-knee for a while, but didn’t need helped off the ice. Pionk played 20 minutes in the 5-0 loss, going without any major stat changes – but still boasting 17 points in 18 games this season. He’ll continue to be a main fixture of the Jets lineup – and likely continue delivering heavy hip-checks – after avoiding suspension here.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have once again assigned forward Gage Goncalves to the minor leagues, after he stepped into a third-line role in the team’s Saturday night win over New Jersey. Goncalves played a career-high 15:32 worth of ice time in the outing, though he only put up two hits and one shot. Goncalves has yet to record his first NHL point, despite four appearances this year and two last year. He’ll return to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s already posted six assists in five games – the only Crunch still scoring above a point-per-game pace.
  • The Boston Bruins received a couple more updates at Sunday’s practice, with forwards Mark Kastelic designated as day-to-day with a lower-body injury and Riley Tufte expected to be sent to the minor leagues per Steve Conroy. Tufte played in 7:46 of Boston’s Saturday overtime-loss to St. Louis, with a -2 his only stat change. Tufte has yet to record a point in three games this year, though he’s managed three points in 21 career NHL games while serving as a go-to call-up since 2021. Kastelic has been much more productive – posting seven points in 19 games this season – while still serving a fourth-line role.

Sabres Recall Jiri Kulich, Place Tage Thompson On IR

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The Buffalo Sabres have placed top-line forward Tage Thompson on injured reserve retroactive to November, 11th, shares Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Buffalo has recalled top prospect Jiri Kulich in a corresponding move.

Thompson was pulled from Buffalo’s Monday loss to Montreal after the first period with a lower-body injury. He ended his night with one goal in 6:49 of ice time, continuing his scoring streak into its fourth game. He went on to miss Buffalo’s Thursday win over St. Louis, and will now miss at least one more game before being eligible to return on November 18th. He’s continued to stand as one of Buffalo’s absolute best, currently leading the team with 11 goals, 18 points, and 114 shot attempts through 16 games. Thompson has scored an NHL-leading 10 of his goals at even-strength.

Buffalo also announced that winger Jordan Greenway has been playing through an injury and is now questionable for Saturday night. The news is a bit of a surprise, with Greenway continuing to serve in a go-to bruiser role over the last five games. He only has one point, but has added 16 hits and one fight in that span. That emerging injury has prompted Buffalo to bring Kulich back to the NHL lineup after four games in the AHL. He was productive in a return to the minors, totaling two goals, three points, and 17 shots. The Sabres will hope that spur of scoring will spark Kulich’s game at the NHL level as well, with the rookie currently sitting with just one goal in eight NHL games this season.

Sam Lafferty stepped into the lineup in Thompson’s absence, while Ryan McLeod filled his hole on the top line. McLeod recorded one goal and one assist with the boosted minutes, and should hang onto a strong hold of ice time. Meanwhile, Lafferty and Kulich will battle for the role of fourth-line center, unless Greenway is unable to play.

Metro Notes: Capitals, Couturier, Johnson, Letang

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Washington Capitals general manager Chris Patrick spoke openly about the team’s direction with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic after reacquiring veteran forward Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Patrick told LeBrun that he got the sense that Eller would be traded somewhere else before the Trade Deadline, or even the New Year, prompting the Capitals to act sooner rather than later. Despite the early buy, Patrick said he still sees the move as a Deadline deal. He told LeBrun, “We said, ‘Maybe at the deadline, we should be looking at center depth. We were looking at (pending) UFAs and players who might be available, and Lars is obviously top of that list.”

Eller may be a defense-first depth forward in his old age, but reacquiring him is a strong statement of confidence from the Capitals after a 10-4-1 start to the season. They find themselves tied with the New York Rangers – who swept Washington in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs – and Patrick emphasized that the on-ice product feels much improved. That’s in part a result of strong performances from Washington’s young talents – like Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, and Rasmus Sandin. Those players give Washington a foundation to build on, and Patrick closed by pointing towards the retooling of teams like Dallas and Florida – who each managed to build lineups with strength top-to-bottom without sacrificing their future. That will be the long-term path that Washington tries to mimic, though they’ll first try to match the playoff success of the top-end teams they now find themselves among.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier is questionable for the team’s Saturday matchup against the Buffalo Sabres shares Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. Couturier missed Philadelphia’s Thursday game against Ottawa with a lower-body injury. He’s managed eight points in 16 games so far this season, while also filling a routine role on the team’s power-play. Morgan Frost will likely slot in for Couturier in the event of another absence, after playing 13:44 in the team’s Thursday win. He contributed one hit and five faceoff wins to the game.
  • Despite the lineup facing injury concerns, Saturday’s game will be celebratory for 2006 first-overall pick Erik Johnson, who sits one game shy of 1,000. He spoke openly about the achievement with Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, sharing how “mind-blowing” it is to near 1,000 games after nearly retiring a few years ago. Johnson spoke about the list of injuries he endured between 2019 and 2021, capped off by a concussion in January of 2021. Johnson cites that injury as giving him the mental reset he needed to reprioritize his health. He’s now set to become the 12th player from the 2006 NHL Draft – and the 133rd defender – to pass the 1,000-game mark.
  • Star Pittsburgh Penguins defender Kris Letang is sick and didn’t travel with the team to their Friday game in Columbus, shares Josh Getzoff of Sportsnet Pittsburgh. Letang has one point in Pittsburgh’s last five games and six points in 18 games on the full season. He remains a clear top-pair defender despite the lagging scoring, averaging 23 minutes of ice time and remaining a focal point of the power-play. He could be replaced by rookie Owen Pickering, who Pittsburgh recalled earlier today. Pickering is the Penguins’ top defense prospect and hasn’t yet made his NHL debut.

Penguins Activate Matt Nieto, Place Blake Lizotte On IR

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have swapped around forwards on their injured reserve, activating Matthew Nieto (knee) but shelving Blake Lizotte (concussion). Lizotte suffered his injury after a shot from linemate Drew O’Connor hit him in the face. He immediately left the game, ending his night after just 3:36 in ice time.

This is the second concussion of Lizotte’s season – with the first suffered during the pre-season and holding him out of Pittsburgh’s first 11 games. It also earned him three weeks on IR, from October 7th to October 31st. Lizotte has played in seven games since, netting two goals on eight shots. It’s the first time in Lizotte’s seven-year career that he’s played outside of the Los Angeles Kings, though the change of scenery hasn’t come with a prime lineup role. Lizotte is averaging just nine minutes in ice time, nearly three minutes lower than he ever averaged with the Kings. He scored 39 goals and 108 points in 327 games with L.A., with a single-season high of 11 goals and 34 points in 2022-23.

Lizotte will be quickly replaced by veteran forward Nieto, who’s making his first return to the NHL since suffering a knee injury on November 30th of last season. The injury ended his season after just 22 games and four points. He received surgery soon after but would have to go under the knife for a second time in April after suffering an additional injury while rehabbing. Nieto was held out through the start of this season, not skating until he began a conditioning assignment with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on November 9th. He scored a goal in his season debut – his first AHL game since 2014 – marking his only point in two conditioning games.

Nieto should be primed for a hardy role right out of the gate, with Pittsburgh now facing injuries to each of Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, and Lizotte. Glass is also on IR with a concussion, while Hayes is week-to-week with an unspecified upper-body injury. Pittsburgh will be two roster spots over the limit when Glass and Lizotte return. Their only waiver-exempt forward is Vasili Ponomarev – which could prompt a tough choice between Lizotte, Nieto, Samuel Poulin, and Valtteri Puustinen.

Islanders Place Mike Reilly On IR, Recall Travis Mitchell

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The New York Islanders have shifted defender Mike Reilly to injured reserve and recalled defender Travis Mitchell, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Reilly hasn’t played since November 1st, when he hit his head on the ice after a hit from Buffalo Sabres forward Jordan Greenway. Reilly has since been labeled as out with an upper-body injury, though it seems his concerns are concussion-related.

Reilly went without any scoring in the 11 games he appeared in before injury, with one penalty, three hits, and four blocked shots standing as the only changes to his statline. He’s nonetheless been an impactful pickup for the Islanders, playing in 59 games with the team last season after an October waiver claim. Serving in a third-pair role, Reilly put up six goals and 24 points – the former a career-high, and the latter the highest he’s managed with a single club. He’s been a stout, two-way depth defender for the last decade, with a career that’s taken him through stops with six different clubs.

Reilly’s absence lined up closely with Adam Pelech and Alexander Romanov’s exit from the lineup, depleting the entirety of New York’s left-side defense. The team has turned towards a list of defenders in response – calling up Samuel Bolduc, Grant Hutton, and Isaiah George to join Dennis Cholowski in rotating through the open spots. Cholowski is the only one to score of the bunch, with two goals in eight games, though it’s been George who’s jumped off the page in his first four NHL games.

With a continued lack of production from their depth, the Islanders will now add to the rotation by awarding Travis Mitchell the first NHL call-up of his career. Mitchell is a Cornell University who joined the Islanders organization as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He totaled 47 points in 95 games at Cornell but has since struggled to find his stride in the minors, with just seven points across 48 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders across the last three seasons. Still, Mitchell has proven a lanky and capable defender, making an impact through heavy hitting and active defending. He’ll try to bring a spark to an Islanders lineup that’s gone 3-4-2 across their last nine games.

Rangers Recall Chad Ruhwedel, Assign Victor Mancini

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The New York Rangers have made a swap on defense, recalling veteran Chad Ruhwedel from, and assigning rookie Victor Mancini to, the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Mancini has served as a healthy scratch for New York’s last four contests, and will now search for hardier ice time in the minor leagues.

Ruhwedel returns to the Rangers lineup after a brief stint in the minor leagues. He played in seven games for Hartford, recording two assists and four penalty minutes but otherwise failing to jump off the page. The stint was the longest Ruhwedel has had in the minor leagues since 2016-17, when he played in 28 games and scored 16 points for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He’s spent the time since serving as a stout seventh defender for the Pittsburgh Penguins and, thanks to a midseason trade last year, the Rangers. That’s been Ruhwedel’s role since he joined the NHL in 2012-13, when he signed with the Buffalo Sabres as an undrafted free agent. He’s gone on to total 365 appearances across 12 seasons, including this year thanks to one scoreless game in New York. Despite the long run in the league, Ruhwedel still sits one point shy of his 50th career NHL point.

While he searches for that, Mancini will look to continue his hot start to the season in the minor leagues. The 22-year-old recorded four points in the first nine NHL games of his career this season, and seemed capable of handling routine minutes on New York’s third pairing. But growing pains and lineup competition forced Mancini out of a spot, leaving him to build on the three assists he recorded in seven AHL games last year. New York originally drafted Mancini in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, following a strong freshman year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He’d go on to total 23 points in 110 games with Nebraska-Omaha, turning pro at the end of the 2023-24 season. This assignment likely isn’t the end of Mancini’s NHL time this year, especially if he can breathe light into a Hartford team off to a menial start this season.

West Notes: Wild, Avalanche, Canucks, Stezka

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The Minnesota Wild have recalled forward Michael Milne to the NHL roster. The move comes after each of Jonas Brodin (lower-body), Marcus Johansson (illness), and Zach Bogosian (personal) missed the team’s Wednesday practice, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Head coach John Hynes told Russo that Johansson and Bogosian are expected to play on Thursday, while Brodin is questionable.

Minnesota is already carrying seven defenders, with Declan Chisholm likely to step in if Brodin misses on Thursday. The team did not have an extra forward, though – requiring the call-up of Milne to cover Johansson’s potential absence. Chisholm has appeared in 10 games this season, recording three assists but yet to score his first goal of the year.

Meanwhile, Milne will rejoin the NHL roster just two days after being sent down. He received the first recall of his pro career last week, and was expected to make his NHL debut – but instead spent three games in the Wild press box. He likely isn’t locked into the lineup on this call-up either, unless Johansson ends up unavailable. Milne ranks second on the AHL’s Iowa Wild in scoring, with eight points in 10 games this season and three points in his latest two games.

Other notes from out West:

  • The Colorado Avalanche also made some roster moves, recalling forwards T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov after brief stints in the minor leagues. Both Tynan and Prishchepov have been regular fixtures of the Avalanche lineup amid their injury woes this season, each playing in six games and recording four points – though Prishchepov’s one goal is the only between the two. Colorado is soon expecting the return of Valeri Nichushkin from suspension and Jonathan Drouin from injury, but their pair of recalls will serve as understudies in the event of any change in plan.
  • While Minnesota and Colorado hedge their bets against injuries, the Vancouver Canucks have sent down top prospects Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Arshdeep Bains, and Aatu Raty in a paper transaction, per Jeff Paterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver. The Canucks will net just over $15.5K in cap space accrual with this move, helping continue to bank cap space over the course of the season. All three players will likely return to the lineup ahead of Vancouver’s Thursday matchup against the New York Islanders.
  • Rounding out Western Conference roster moves is Seattle’s assignment of goaltender Ales Stezka, who served as backup in the team’s Tuesday win over Columbus. Stezka has served as the starter for the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds this season, posting a 2-5-0 record and .894 save percentage in seven games. He’s played ahead of top Kraken goalie prospect Niklas Kokko, who’s managed an .880 save percentage in four games. Stezka’s assignment suggests that Philipp Grubauer will soon return, after suffering an undisclosed injury away from the rink that forced him out of Tuesday’s game.

NHL Names Ken Holland Hockey Operations Consultant

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The NHL’s hockey operations department announced Tuesday that they’ve hired longtime Red Wings and Oilers general manager and Hockey Hall of Fame executive Ken Holland as a consultant.

It’s the logical next step for the 69-year-old Holland. His time in teams’ front offices appeared to come to an end – at least as a general manager – when the Oilers opted not to renew his contract at the end of last season.

“We are delighted to welcome Ken to NHL Hockey Operations, where he will provide invaluable insight from his decades in the game as a player, scout and executive. He offers unmatched expertise in a wide range of areas,” NHL senior executive VP of hockey ops Colin Campbell said.

Holland had been the GM and president of the Oilers’ hockey ops since the 2019-20 campaign. Before his time in Edmonton, he served as the Red Wings’ general manager from 1997-98 to 2018-19, winning three Stanley Cups and 10 division titles.

Holland had a brief playing career as a goaltender in the Maple Leafs, Red Wings and Hartford Whalers organizations before stepping into a scouting role with Detroit upon his retirement in 1985. The Red Wings promoted him to their director of amateur scouting after two years and again to assistant GM in 1994.

The British Columbia native also served as Canada’s GM for the 2006 World Championship. However, the team led by star youngsters Patrice Bergeron and Sidney Crosby was the only Canadian team between 2003 and 2009 not to medal at the event.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Five Key Stories: 11/4/24 – 11/10/24

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The first full week of November is in the books as we’ve now passed the one-month mark of the 2024-25 NHL season.  While it was relatively quiet on the transaction front, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.

Back To Seattle: Winger Daniel Sprong has bounced around in recent years despite some pretty good offensive seasons including back-to-back 40-point-plus campaigns.  He had to settle for a one-year deal with Vancouver this summer and after a sluggish start, he was on the move again as Seattle acquired him in exchange for future considerations.  The 27-year-old had his best year with the Kraken in 2022-23 when he had 21 goals and 25 assists in just 66 games but was still non-tendered that summer.  Now with a cap hit of just $975K, he’s an affordable low-cost pickup to try to a group that sits in the middle of the pack offensively.

Expanded NCAA Eligibility: As expected, the NCAA’s Division I Council has voted to allow players with previous involvement with professional teams to play collegiately.  Notably, this includes CHL players who were previously ruled ineligible.  We’ve already seen some junior players announce which NCAA school they plan to go to and many more will make commitments in the weeks and months ahead.  There are still some questions to be answered regarding when CHL players will be allowed to go the NCAA route and if there will be any changes to the rights of CHL-drafted players who go to college.  Meanwhile, players already signed to an NHL contract will remain ineligible.  The change doesn’t officially come into effect until August so there is bound to be more information clarifying these and other matters between now and then.

Fabbro To Columbus: It was a tough start to the season for defenseman Dante Fabbro who was a healthy scratch several times.  The Predators decided that it was time to shake things up, electing to waive a player who was viewed as a possible key fixture on the back end just a few years ago.  Despite a $2.5MM cap charge, he didn’t last too long on waivers with Columbus picking him up off the wire.  The 26-year-old has more than 300 NHL games under his belt and will get a chance to boost his value heading into his first time through unrestricted free agency next summer.  The Blue Jackets are now carrying eight blueliners for the time being but David Jiricek is waiver-exempt and could be sent down to AHL Cleveland down the road.

Key Injury In St. Louis: Blues defenseman Philip Broberg was off to a very strong start with his new team, notching nine points (already a career-high) in 12 games while logging close to 20 minutes per night.  However, he’ll now miss the next four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.  It’s a big blow to a back end that’s also without Torey Krug for the season while Nick Leddy has missed close to four weeks now with a lower-body issue of his own.  However, there was some good news on the injury front as well.  Although winger Dylan Holloway was taken to the hospital after taking a puck to the neck that eventually saw the game paused to get him immediate medical attention, he was able to return for their next game.

Three For Jeannot: The Kings are currently without winger Tanner Jeannot after he received a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against Canucks winger Brock Boeser.  He initially received a match penalty on the play, automatically triggering a league review.  Jeannot will forfeit over $41K in salary as a result of the suspension; he’ll be eligible to return on November 16th against Detroit.  Meanwhile, Boeser did not return following the hit and hasn’t played since as he’s still being assessed for an upper-body injury.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Walman, Samsonov, 4 Nations Face-Off

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman did not join the team for warmups on Sunday night, indicating that he’ll miss a third-straight game due to team suspension and an upper-body injury, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Walman returned to top-pair line rushes at San Jose’s Sunday morning practice and was designated as a game-time decision, head coach Ryan Warsofsky shared with Max Miller of The Hockey News. Walman has nine points in 13 games – more than double the scoring of any other Sharks defender.

Despite that, the team opted for the restrained decision, and will instead return Jack Thompson to the lineup for his ninth game of the season. Thompson has four points on the year – second among Sharks defenders – and has generally looked much more the part of an everyday NHL defender. He’s served on San Jose’s second pair, while Henry Thrun is filling Walman’s top-pair spot next to Cody Ceci. Walman is traveling with the Sharks of a four-game road trip kicked off on Sunday night, and will look to instead return on Monday.

Other quick notes around the league:

  • Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov has returned to the team’s practices after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury. There’s been no word on his availability for Monday night’s matchup against Carolina, but his return to practice is nonetheless exciting progress for a Golden Knights team that’s directed all of Samsonov’s minutes to starter Adin Hill. Hill has a 6-2-1 record and .881 save percentage through nine games this season, while temporary backup Akira Schmid has slotted into six AHL games and posted a .885 save percentage. Samsonov’s 3-1-1 record and .906 save percentage in five games should be enough to earn him routine starts when he’s healthy enough to return – a point that seems to be drawing close.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on the latest Saturday Headlines segment that rosters for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off will be made public on December 4th, with Sweden and Finland’s coming early in the North American day while Canada and USA will announce theirs that evening. The event stands as the first in what will become a trend of in-season international events during non-Olympic years. It will take place from February 12th to February 20th and features the four of the five most-represented countries in the NHL, excluding Russia. Each country announced their first six players this summer – with Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Erik Karlsson, and Aleksander Barkov among the list of representatives.

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