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Seth Jarvis To Make NHL Debut; Nino Niederreiter Out

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Despite putting up 11 points in nine games for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL last season, Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis was not eligible to return to the minor leagues this time around. He’s still just 19, and given he didn’t cross the 20-game threshold to secure a one-time AHL exemption like some other prospects, if he failed to make the Hurricanes he would have to return to the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.

At the end of training camp, the team did not send Jarvis back, but also didn’t put him in the NHL lineup. The Hurricanes have played in seven games (and won them all); Jarvis has played in none.

That will change this afternoon when the young forward enters the lineup for his NHL debut. After Nino Niederreiter suffered a lower-body injury on Friday night, the Hurricanes have confirmed that Jarvis comes in against the Arizona Coyotes. Niederreiter is expected to be out a few weeks with the ankle injury, a big blow for a player that was off to a nice start to the season. With three goals already, the 29-year-old was well on his way to another 20-goal campaign, a level he returned to in 2020-21 after a disappointing performance the year prior.

Selected 13th overall in 2020, Jarvis has already shown he can dominate the junior ranks and has little to prove with the Winterhawks. He even showed he could be an electric presence at the AHL level with seven goals in nine games last season, and was a highlight reel every night in the preseason. Whether that huge offensive upside lends itself to real NHL action right away remains to be seen, but he’ll get a chance this afternoon.

Of note, like with any prospect his age, is that Jarvis’ entry-level contract will not kick in until he plays in ten games this season. Should he hit that threshold, the first year will be burned and he will become a restricted free agent in 2024. If he plays fewer, that RFA summer would become 2025.

Snapshots: Eichel, Campbell, Sillinger

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The Jack Eichel saga continues, though things are coming to a head according to several NHL insiders. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that the Vegas Golden Knights are “well down the track” in Eichel talks with the Buffalo Sabres, but notes that there are still plenty of moving parts. Kevin Weekes of ESPN adds that the Calgary Flames are with the Golden Knights as potential destinations still, though he too notes that things remain “fluid and complex.”

It is important to remember that there are many factors involved here, including the Sabres’ own cap situation. Eichel is not on long-term injured reserve for Buffalo, and moving him off the cap would put them well below the lower limit. Any potential deal will likely have multiple players coming back, in addition to whatever draft picks are involved.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up Morgan Rielly yesterday, signing him before he got anywhere close to unrestricted free agency next summer. Another one of their pending UFAs, Jack Campbell, is playing very well for the club in the early going and setting himself up for a big payday. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, there have only been preliminary talks between the Maple Leafs front office and Campbell’s representatives, and that happened before the start of the season. The Maple Leafs of course signed Petr Mrazek to a three-year deal this summer, which carries a $3.8MM cap hit. Mrazek is playing tonight for the club as he returns from injury.
  • Cole Sillinger has been great for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the early going, stepping directly into the NHL after being selected 12th overall in this year’s draft. The question now is whether the Blue Jackets will keep him through the ten-game threshold, which would start the clock on his entry-level contract and burn its first year, or send him back to junior where he could dominate for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. Notably, as Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch points out though, Sillinger is also actually eligible to play in the AHL this season because he spent last year with the USHL instead of playing in the COVID-shortened WHL campaign. Minor league games do not count toward that ten-game threshold, meaning the young forward could spend the year in professional hockey but not burn the first year of his ELC. With seven games played already, the Blue Jackets will have to make a decision on that front soon. One other thing to note for Sillinger is that sometimes, teams focus more on the 40-game threshold instead of ten. At that point, the season not only would burn the first year of his ELC, but it would also count toward Sillinger’s future UFA status.

Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett Day-To-Day With Upper Body Injury

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Florida Panthers reporter Jameson Olive tweets that forward Sam Bennett is out of the lineup Saturday night against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury. His status is day-to-day.

In his place, Zac Dalpe, who was recalled today from the Charlotte Checkers, will make his Panthers debut. As corresponding roster moves, Anton Lundell and Joe Thornton have been placed on injured reserve, per the team.

Bennett has flourished after being dealt to the Panthers at the trade deadline last season. Centering the Panthers’ second line between Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett, Bennett has four goals and three assists in seven games for the undefeated Panthers this year. Combined with his incredible finish to last season, he has 22 points through his first 18 games as a Panther.

If this injury bug persists for Florida, they’ve already built up a five-point cushion on first place in the Atlantic Division. Undefeated through eight games, they’ll rely on their solid forward depth now to keep them at the top of the league.

Minor Transactions: 10/30/21

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The NHL’s got a busy schedule today as the Florida Panthers attempt to maintain their undefeated record today on the road against a strong Boston Bruins team. Yet still, there are still many minor moves to keep track of across the AHL and ECHL on this busy Saturday. We’ll keep a record of those right here:

  • The AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights have added a pair of forwards to the roster in Lynden McCallum and Colt Conrad, per a team release. McCallum signed a one-year contract after spending five games with the team on a professional tryout contract, impressing with a goal and three assists in those games. Conrad joins the team on a PTO after spending the 2020-21 campaign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, scoring four points in 22 games. The Golden Knights organization faces a thin forward group at the NHL level due to injury, which has cost the Silver Knights some players early on that they expected to be important contributors.
  • Per a team tweet, the AHL’s Stockton Heat released forward Ryan Francis from his PTO, assigning him to the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Francis went pointless in four games with the Heat before being released from the PTO. A fifth-round pick of the Flames in 2020, Francis was old enough to spend the entire season in the AHL, but the team has decided that his development would be better served with an overage season in the QMJHL.
  • The AHL’s Belleville Senators recalled defenseman Xavier Bernard from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators today and signed forward Kameron Kielly to a PTO, per a team tweet. Bernard was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils but was never signed and now finds himself in the Senators organization playing his first professional season. He has no points and a +1 rating with the Gladiators this season. Kielly is a 24-year-old entering his second professional season looking to play his first AHL game. He totalled 19 points in 39 ECHL games last season, split between the Allen Americans and Indy Fuel.

Injury Notes: Saad, Girard, Kraken, Johnson

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St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad is skating Saturday after spending the past nine days on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, per Blues reporter Chris Pinkert. Saad is expected to return to the lineup for their Wednesday game against the Los Angeles Kings. He’s ineligible to play in Saturday night’s game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. It appears to be a huge boost for the Blues, who are also without captain Ryan O’Reilly as he was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list on October 26. Saad had two points in three games before being placed in the protocol, but his absence has caused him to miss the last three (that number will be made four tonight). In his absence, younger forwards such as Klim Kostin and Jake Neighbours have gotten extended looks in the lineup.

Other injury notes from around the league on Saturday:

  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports defenseman Samuel Girard will return to the lineup for tonight’s home game against the Minnesota Wild. Expected to play on a pairing with Erik Johnson, it’s another step closer to full health for a Colorado blueline that’s faced injuries to their best two left-shot defensemen early on this season. Girard missed Colorado’s last two games after suffering an injury on a hit from the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos at the end of a game on October 23.
  • Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol issued injury updates today on forward Mason Appleton and goaltender Chris Driedger. Appleton was placed on injured reserve today and is now out indefinitely, while Driedger is now labeled as day-to-day. Kraken reporter Bob Condor relays information that Driedger practiced today, and could potentially work his way into game action as the Kraken have a back-to-back this Sunday and Monday. Appleton was in the midst of a rough start to his Kraken tenure, posting just one assist in seven games and playing just 11:14 per game.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope reports that Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson suffered an apparent arm or wrist injury during the team’s 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday and is expected to miss Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, if not more time. Johnson was playing in a top-line role, flanking Kirby Dach along with Dominik Kubalik prior to the injury with Patrick Kane in COVID-19 protocol. Johnson’s scored one goal and two assists in eight games this season. Forward Dylan Strome could draw into the lineup tonight in his place.

Vegas Golden Knights Claim Michael Amadio

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Vegas Golden Knights claimed forward Michael Amadio off waivers Saturday afternoon from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Amadio was placed on waivers yesterday by Toronto after somewhat unexpectedly making the team’s opening night roster. The 25-year-old Ontario native played just three games with Toronto before he was waived.

The acquisition of Amadio gives head coach Peter DeBoer some additional lineup flexibility as the team’s been hamstrung by injuries early on in the season. As five lineup-regular forwards (Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Alex Tuch, Mattias Janmark, Nolan Patrick) are currently unable to go, young players like Jake Leschyshyn and Jonas Rondbjerg have been forced into action for Vegas, likely earlier in their developmental paths than the organization hoped. Patrick has been placed on injured reserve to make room for Amadio on the roster, per Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

It allows Vegas to return one of Leschyshyn or Rondbjerg to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where they’ll be much more comfortable. Amadio is a versatile forward who can play any position, and while he usually wouldn’t be a lineup or even NHL regular on a Stanley Cup-contending team like Vegas, an aforementioned injury bug forced their hand.

When all is said and done, it’s likely Amadio appears on the waiver wire again later in the season when Vegas’ health improves.

PHR Mailbag: Kraken, Golden Knights, Eichel, Tarasenko, Blackhawks, Atkinson, Coyotes Goaltending

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Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the slow starts in Seattle and Vegas, Vladimir Tarasenko’s hot start in St. Louis, Chicago’s struggles, Cam Atkinson’s return to form, and Arizona’s goaltending situation.  If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s mailbag.

trak2k: Is it worrying that the Kraken have the lowest amount of shots per game and also not really anyone on offense who can score?

Also. do teams who do well at the beginning of the season do well at the end of the season?

An uptick in shots now has Seattle out of the basement in that regard but it isn’t really cause for concern that the volume isn’t there.  The bigger issue is the second half of your first question in that they don’t have a lot of firepower.  This isn’t a team built to do a whole lot at the offensive end as GM Ron Francis opted to pass on some more prominent offensive players in expansion and only added some secondary pieces in free agency with an eye on longer-term flexibility.

It’s important to hammer home that they’re an expansion team.  They’re supposed to struggle.  What Vegas did when they entered the league is by far the exception to what first-year teams are supposed to do and it unfairly raised the bar for the Kraken in the process.  They’re supposed to be a middling team and with seven points out of their first eight games, they’re basically doing what most expansion teams do.

It’s not a given that teams that start strong will also finish strong.  The good teams are generally good throughout but there is usually a team or two that gets off to a hot start and fades as the year goes on and vice versa.  If you’re hoping that Seattle goes from a slow start to a good finish though, I don’t think this is the year for that to happen.

DirtbagBlues: Too early to panic in Vegas?

DirtbagBlues: Would Vegas really trade Theodore (as is being rumored since the Whitecloud and Hutton signings)? What else would they need to add to nab Eichel?

Speaking of that other recent expansion team…  I’m not pushing the panic button right now.  I know the statement “no excuses” tends to be applied but Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Alex Tuch are a big part of their offense and they’re all on the shelf plus there have been a litany of minor issues that have kept players out as well.  When a team is icing a lineup with a combined payroll below the cap minimum some nights, they’re bound to struggle.  If they were all healthy and they were still struggling, then I’d be a bit more concerned.

As for Shea Theodore’s inclusion in a Jack Eichel trade, I think they would do that.  First, I think the expectation of what Eichel will get in a return has swung far too much the other way; the Sabres aren’t moving him for pennies on the dollar.  The pressure point is next offseason when his trade protection comes in, not now.  If he sits the season, I don’t think they’re all that concerned; it’s not as if they’re actively trying to make the playoffs anyway.

Back to Theodore, then.  Vegas has to match money for this to work on the cap (the LTIR only helps this season, not in the other four years of Eichel’s deal) so someone with a hefty price tag has to go the other way.  Theodore at $5.2MM is a start on that front.  But he’s young enough to be viewed as a longer-term piece for Buffalo and is signed through 2024-25 which is big for them.  He can be the centerpiece of a return as a result.  From the Golden Knights’ perspective, they have Alex Pietrangelo, Alec Martinez, and Zach Whitecloud signed through at least 2023-24 and Nicolas Hague under control through 2026.  That’s a good foundation on the back end even without Theodore.

As for what else, someone like Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, or Evgenii Dadonov would make the money work looking ahead to later in the year if Eichel is able to return for the stretch run and playoffs (LTIR shields them until that time).  I’d lean towards Marchessault solely because he has the longest term remaining which makes the money situation easier to navigate.  Buffalo is open to conditions on other pieces so there’s bound to be a conditional first-rounder in there plus probably a lower pick tied to that one.  I could also see someone like Jack Dugan involved, a prospect whose stock has dipped a bit but still carries some potential value to Buffalo.

Johnny Z: Does Tarasenko still get traded? Does he push it or settles in with the Blues?

I’ve never really thought Tarasenko was getting traded in the first place.  Sure, he may want out but with contracts like these, there’s a very fine line to navigate.  At $7.5MM for this season and next, teams aren’t going to want him if he’s not producing and how he finished last year basically cratered any possible value he may have.  On the other hand, he’s an important enough piece for the Blues that they weren’t going to give him away.

Now he’s off to a nice start to his 2021-22 campaign with four goals and four assists in six games.  His value has certainly gone up but where’s the motivation for St. Louis to trade him?  If you have a player producing at a top-line level, you keep him.  Winning and success can get rid of a lot of bad blood.  Will that be the case here?  I don’t know but considering that it’s often easier to try to swap big contracts in the offseason, that might be the time for something to happen on the trade front but not now.  At that point, teams will have a better idea if Tarasenko is truly back to his old form while there will also be the element of being able to discuss and potentially sign an extension which isn’t an option if he’s moved now.

Nha Trang: Has Marc-Andre Fleury just gotten old, or does the Chicago defense really suck THAT badly?

Why can’t it be both?  Fleury is 36 and there is some volatility in starting goalies as they get older.  Fleury didn’t hide the fact he didn’t want to be traded in the first place and while I’m not accusing him of merely going through the motions by any stretch, going from somewhere you loved to somewhere you don’t want to be certainly doesn’t help things.

As for Chicago’s back end, they’ve struggled quite a bit as well.  Frankly, they’ve surprised me with how poorly they’ve played as on paper, that’s at least a decent group.  Seth Jones has struggled mightily, Jake McCabe hasn’t quite settled in yet, and returning veterans Connor Murphy and Calvin de Haan have underwhelmed as well.

It’s also worth mentioning that in Fleury’s case, it’s four games.  That’s a pretty small sample size.  He isn’t going to be that bad all season long; I expect he’ll turn it around.  Generally speaking, I expect Chicago will find their footing eventually; there’s too much talent on that team to be this bad all season long.  When that happens, Fleury will go back to being a decent starter and that’s all they really wanted when they added him from Vegas.

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AHL Shuffle: 10/30/21

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With 20 teams in action on a busy Saturday around the NHL, there will likely be quite a bit of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

Atlantic Division

  • The Bruins have re-assigned center Oskar Steen to Providence, per the AHL’s transactions page. The 23-year-old had an assist on Sunday, his only NHL appearance in 2021-22.  Steen also has two points in three contests in the minors so far this season.
  • Forward Zac Dalpe has been recalled from the Charlotte Checkers by the Florida Panthers, per a team tweet. The recall would put the team over the roster limit, likely meaning that Chase Priskie will be returned to Charlotte or Kevin Connauton could be placed on injured reserve. The 31-year-old veteran Dalpe has just one goal in four AHL contests with Charlotte this year, but got into 12 NHL games with Columbus last season.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Red Wings announced that they have recalled center Joe Veleno from Grand Rapids of the AHL. The 2018 first-rounder got into five games with Detroit down the stretch last season and is off to a good start with the Griffins this year with three goals in five games at the minor league level.  Veleno will take the spot of Tyler Bertuzzi on the roster with the winger being unable to be with the team for their upcoming games in Canada.

Central Division

 

Pacific Division

  • The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned winger Vladimir Tkachev to Ontario of the AHL with center Lias Andersson being activated off season-opening IR to take his place. Tkachev came over from the KHL and has a pair of assists in four games this season but has only played once in the last week and a half so an appearance in the minors will keep him fresh. Andersson, meanwhile, had six points in 23 games with Los Angeles last season and suffered a groin injury late in the preseason.
  • The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Max McCormick from Charlotte of the AHL while transferring Mason Appleton to injured reserve.  McCormick has seen NHL action in five of the last six seasons, compiling 13 points in 83 games along the way.  As for Appleton, he suffered a lower-body injury earlier this week against Montreal.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Penguins Activate Sidney Crosby And Jeff Carter

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The Penguins will have their top center back in the lineup tonight as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been activated off injured reserve and will play against New Jersey.  Meanwhile, head coach Mike Sullivan also confirmed to reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that center Jeff Carter has been cleared from COVID protocol and will also suit up.

Crosby has missed all seven games this season after undergoing wrist surgery in early September to repair what GM Ron Hextall termed as something that the captain has played through for several years.  The 34-year-old has averaged more than a point per game in all 16 of his NHL seasons and will be a huge addition to a Pittsburgh attack that has been down several key pieces.

One of those was Carter whose strong start on the top line was suddenly stalled with his placement in COVID protocol.  The 36-year-old has a goal and three assists in four games this season while logging nearly 20 minutes a night.  His playing time should decrease with Crosby returning but he’ll still play a prominent role inside their top six.

Pittsburgh had been carrying two open roster spots with just the minimum of 12 forwards so there will be no corresponding roster moves necessary to activate both players.

While this is undoubtedly a big boost for the Penguins, they’re still without defenseman Kris Letang (COVID protocol), winger Bryan Rust (who skated with a non-contact sweater today), and center Evgeni Malkin who remains sidelined as he works his way back from a knee injury.

Metropolitan Notes: Niederreiter, Reaves, Dowd

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The Hurricanes had plenty to be happy about on Friday night as they ran their winning streak to seven straight to start the season but it wasn’t all good news as Nino Niederreiter suffered a lower-body injury in the third period.  Speaking with reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer postgame, head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated that the winger could be “out for a while”.  Niederreiter, a five-time 20-goal scorer, was off to a decent start this season with three tallies in his first seven games and with this being a contract year, any extended absence certainly won’t help his cause when it’s time to work out a new agreement.  In the meantime, Niederreiter’s injury could open up a spot for Seth Jarvis to make his NHL debut.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Rangers are hoping that winger Ryan Reaves won’t miss more than the minimum seven days after being placed on IR Thursday, relays Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 34-year-old will be with the team on their upcoming four-game road trip and the hope is that he’ll be able to return over that stretch.  Reaves has logged nearly nine minutes per game in his first seven contests in New York.
  • Capitals center Nic Dowd suffered a lower-body injury in Friday’s morning skate, notes Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link). Head coach Peter Laviolette expressed optimism that Dowd, who has won nearly 60% of his faceoffs this season, won’t be out for too long.  Brett Leason made his NHL debut in Dowd’s absence and Washington will need to make a roster move if they want to bring up another extra forward.  Dowd could be shifted to IR if he’s going to miss at least a week or defenseman Martin Fehervary – who’s waiver-exempt – may need to be sent down and replaced with a forward.

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