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Ivan Lodnia Signs AHL Contract

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Usually, when a player is put on unconditional waivers and their contract terminated, they end up signing overseas to continue their career far away from the NHL. In the case of Ivan Lodnia, something very different has happened. The young forward, who recently saw his deal with the Minnesota Wild terminated, has signed an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves.

This is still a step up for the 22-year-old forward, as the Wild had assigned him to the ECHL to start the season. Lodnia refused to report to the Iowa Heartlanders, earning a suspension from the team instead. Now he’ll at least get the chance to play in the AHL, where he can showcase himself for another NHL organization.

Notably, the Wolves are an independent minor league team, meaning that though they are affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes they can also make decisions like this for themselves. The team obviously sees the value in bringing in the 2017 third-round pick, though Lodnia has not shown much at that level to this point. In 2020-21, he was loaned to Dynamo Minsk of the KHL, where he had just one goal and seven points in 27 games. Prior to that, he had played six professional games, failing to record a point.

A solid two-way winger, early in his CHL career Lodnia was stuck behind a very talented Erie Otters forward group but still managed to put up strong production. Still, even once he was traded to Niagara and given more offensive minutes, his scoring never really exploded to a level that would draw a ton of notice from NHL fans. There’s plenty of time for him to figure out how to be a successful pro, given he turned 22 just a few months ago and he’ll now take on that challenge in Chicago.

Adam Henrique Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique is out with an upper-body injury and has returned to Anaheim from the team’s road trip, per a Ducks tweet. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Henrique is in the midst of a wonderful bounce-back campaign after spending some time last season in the press box. Through 19 games, he’s third on the Ducks with 15 points (six goals, nine assists). His ice time has seen a significant uptick, too, playing 17:16 per game compared to 16:02 last season.

The 31-year-old native of Brantford, Ontario, scored his 200th NHL goal earlier this season, his 11th full one in the NHL. Prior to last season’s shortened 56-game schedule, Henrique had scored 40 or more points in seven consecutive seasons.

He’s been a big part of what’s been a resurgent season for a younger, faster, and better Anaheim Ducks team. While it doesn’t sound like his injury is serious, they’ll miss him for the next little while. Anaheim faces a pair of Canadian teams in Ottawa and Toronto next, before some in-division matchups against Los Angeles and Vegas.

Danny DeKeyser Enters COVID Protocol

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According to MLive’s Ansar Khan, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser has entered the league’s COVID protocol.

While DeKeyser’s play has suffered over the past few seasons due to a variety of injuries, he’s played a semi-important role for Detroit this season. He’s been partnered with Calder Trophy candidate Moritz Seider on the blueline, but he still has just two assists in 19 games.

With DeKeyser out, Troy Stecher’s injury, and Marc Staal dealing with illness, Detroit’s defensive depth is running thin. Dan Renouf was recalled from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins today, and he could make his season debut for Detroit Wednesday night against the St. Louis Blues.

Detroit’s cooled off after a hot start, going 4-5-1 in their past ten games. While there have been encouraging signs of life out of this long-rebuilding franchise this season, their time to shine likely isn’t quite here yet.

In DeKeyser’s absence, increased minutes are likely coming for Nick Leddy, who’s been manning second-pairing duties with Filip Hronek.

Max Pacioretty Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Vegas Golden Knights are one step closer to full health. Winger Max Pacioretty has been activated from injured reserve and could return to the lineup Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators.

It goes without saying that this is a huge step for a beleaguered Golden Knights team. Pacioretty played in just two games this season before getting injured, but was arguably their best player in that time frame, notching two goals and an assist.

Pacioretty and his $7MM cap hit now come off long-term injured reserve, but with Jack Eichel’s $10MM still there, they won’t have any problems being cap compliant (yet).

Now, Vegas will be able to reunite what’s been their top line for the past while, as Pacioretty will be able to slot in beside Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson. Stephenson has stepped up in a big way to help carry a shattered Knights team through a tough stretch, posting 17 points in 19 games.

Eichel and William Karlsson’s absences are now the last remaining pieces of the puzzle in what shapes up to be one of the best forward groups in the league. Their depth has done more than enough work, keeping the team afloat with an 11-8-0 record this season. With Pacioretty back in the fold, expect the Knights to take on more of their old form.

Nikita Zaitsev Removed From COVID Protocol

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The Ottawa Senators have officially removed Nikita Zaitsev from the COVID protocol, suggesting he is available for the team tonight against the San Jose Sharks. That leaves Drake Batherson as the only Senators player still in the protocol.

This is not the first time that Zaitsev has been cleared, as he came out of the protocol for just a few hours earlier in Ottawa’s battle with COVID. This time though, it seems likely that he’s out of the woods (at least for now) and can rejoin the lineup to help them try and turn things around.

Whether Zaitsev can actually do that is another story, since he’s been poor this season and has watched his ice time slashed to a career low. In fact, he was even made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, meaning even though he is now available, he may not necessarily go directly in for the team. Recently, Ottawa has given an opportunity to 21-year-old Lassi Thomson, who looks ready to help the group on a full-time basis after registering two points in four games. He’s not at all the same kind of defenseman as Zaitsev, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Still, there’s reason for the team to commit to Zaitsev, given he has another two years on his expensive contract. If he can’t get his performance back to an acceptable level, his $4.5MM salary looks mighty expensive for a team that doesn’t have unlimited funds.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Boston Bruins

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads towards the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Boston Bruins.

What are the Bruins most thankful for?

A light early schedule.

Normally, if you said that November was coming to an end and the Bruins were seven points out of a divisional playoff spot, alarm bells would be ringing all across Boston. But with just 15 games played so far–tied for the lowest total in the league–there’s plenty of time to make up that ground. In fact, the Bruins have played five fewer games than the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, two teams ahead of them in the Atlantic standings. Sure, things aren’t going perfect for Boston through the early part of the year with a 9-6 record, but it’s not panic time just yet.

Who are the Bruins most thankful for?

The “Perfection” line.

Despite two of its members being in their mid-thirties, the Bruins’ top line is just as devastating as ever. Brad Marchand is off to an incredible start with 20 points in his first 15 games (a points/game pace that has him fifth in the league), David Pastrnak has 15 points despite shooting at a career-low 7.6%, and Patrice Bergeron continues to be arguably the most effective two-way center in the league. The 36-year-old Bergeron has 13 points in 15 games, has been on the ice for just six goals against at even-strength (compared to 11 for), and has won 62.7% of his faceoffs to this point, easily the highest mark in the league from any full-time center.

Like they have for years now, the top line of the Bruins is carrying the offensive load while they try to figure out the rest of the lineup. While players like Craig Smith and Erik Haula struggle to find the back of the net, Pastrnak, Bergeron, and Marchand are keeping the team in the top half of the league for goals for per game. It’s not going to last forever, but it still is for now.

What would the Bruins be even more thankful for?

Tuukka Rask’s return.

One of the biggest differences in Boston this year is the goaltending tandem, a brand new duo of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. Neither one has been exceptional, or even above-average so far, with a flat .908 save percentage for each of them. That’s not the end of the world, but it’s also not what the Bruins have been used to for the last decade-plus. In each of the 12 seasons that Rask played at least 23 games for the team, he posted a save percentage of at least .913. Overall in his career, that number was .921, one of the best in the history of the NHL.

It doesn’t mean Swayman and Ullmark can’t play to a level better than they have so far, but there’s certainly no guarantee that they will. The issue is, there’s also no guarantee that Rask can play up to the level he has in the past, even if he comes back to the team in 2022 at full strength. The veteran netminder has been clear about his desire to play for Boston once he recovers from hip surgery, even skating at their facility lately. If the Bruins have their eyes set on another postseason run, it still seems likely that it will include Rask, at least in some fashion.

What should be on the Bruins’ Holiday Wish List?

A second-line center.

If the change in net was the most noticeable, perhaps the most important was the one at the second-line pivot position. David Krejci’s departure and subsequent return to the Czech Republic left a massive hole in the Bruins lineup, one that to this point has been filled mostly with Charlie Coyle. It’s not that Coyle has played poorly in that role, in fact quite the opposite, he leads all non-first-line Bruins’ forwards in goals and points through the first 15 games. But the team has said many times in the past that they think he is most effective on the wing, and having him there or even on the third line instead would only help to lengthen out what has become a top-heavy group.

By acquiring a legitimate top-six center at some point, it would slot everyone else in the Bruins’ lineup down a peg and make them seem like a much more well-rounded group. It’s not always easy to find that kind of player, but the team does actually have some extra cap space this time around to make an addition at the deadline. In fact, if they don’t make any drastic changes over the next few months, they could have more than $10MM in space to make a big splash. Whether they’ll have the assets to do that is another question, as is whether they’ll be in the right spot standings-wise for it to make sense.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Andreas Athanasiou Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Los Angeles Kings will not have Andreas Athanasiou in the lineup when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening, as he has been placed in the COVID protocol.

Athanasiou, 27, only has eight games under his belt this season and after a hot start–he had five points in his first four–has been held scoreless in four straight. Now the Kings will have to find a way to replace him for at least one game.

The team did not confirm whether or not Athanasiou had actually tested positive for coronavirus, but if he did and is experiencing any symptoms he’ll miss a minimum of ten days. The team had been carrying 14 forwards already, so don’t necessarily need to make a recall in time for tonight’s action.

Nathan Bastian Placed On Waivers

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The Seattle Kraken had to make room for Mason Appleton, who has been activated off injured reserve, so Nathan Bastian finds himself on waivers today.

Bastian, 23, was the Kraken’s expansion pick from the New Jersey Devils, but saw very limited time in his games with Seattle. Averaging just over nine minutes of ice time through 12 appearances, he hadn’t even gotten into the lineup since November 9. With Appleton returning, someone on the roster was going to have to be exposed, since none of the Kraken skaters are waiver-exempt.

It will be interesting to see if Bastian clears, given his obvious upside. Though he has just two points this season, he has scored in bunches in the minor leagues, was a high draft pick in 2016 (41st overall), and possesses the size–6’4″–that many teams covet in the bottom-six. He’s more than willing to use that size too, as Bastian recorded 136 hits in just 41 games for the Devils last season and even drops the gloves on occasion.

New Jersey themselves could even bring Bastian back, though they made a move to bring up Chase De Leo recently to fill out the last spot on the roster and have other forwards who will return from injury at some point.

If he isn’t claimed, Bastian could be sent to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.

Carter Hutton Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Arizona Coyotes have placed Carter Hutton in the COVID protocol, despite him not even being on the active roster. The injured netminder was nearing a return, but now it appears the decision on which goaltenders to carry with the team won’t have to be made for a little while longer.

Hutton joins Andrew Ladd and Johan Larsson in the protocol, but the team did not confirm whether or not he had tested positive for coronavirus. If he did and is experiencing any symptoms, the netminder will be held out a minimum of ten days.

Without him, the team will continue to go with Karel Vejmelka and Scott Wedgewood, a pair that has actually been relatively good for the team so far. In fact, Wedgewood has a .940 save percentage in his six appearances, winning three times. While Vejmelka has a .905, quite a bit better than Hutton’s early-season showing, he still amazingly has a 1-9-1 record on the year.

The Coyotes will take on the Edmonton Oilers this evening, looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Morning Notes: Harris, Schenn, Forsberg

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The Montreal Canadiens were unable to convince Jordan Harris to turn pro and sign his entry-level contract last offseason, as the 21-year-old instead returned to Northeastern University for his senior season with the Huskies. Serving as captain, he now has ten points in 14 games, and in a piece from Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic, Harris’ coach Jerry Keefe calls him “the best defenseman in the country.”

The piece details how Harris has always shown loyalty to the programs and teams he plays for, but also examines how the young defenseman’s draft rights will expire if not signed by August of 2022. At that point, he could become an unrestricted free agent and sign anywhere in the league, should he decide that Montreal isn’t the best step for his career. It’s obvious that the Canadiens want to bring him into the organization, but there will be a ticking clock from the time his season ends.

  •  The St. Louis Blues are getting a key player back, as Brayden Schenn will make his return to the lineup tonight when they take on the Detroit Red Wings. Schenn has missed nine games with an upper-body injury and will be playing in just his tenth game of the season. In fact, this will be the first time all year that the Blues are icing a fully healthy lineup.
  • Speaking of Central Division reinforcements, the Nashville Predators had Filip Forsberg on the ice today at practice. The injured forward has only played in a single game this month and nine on the season so far. It’s not clear exactly when he’ll be back in the lineup, but the team has remained within striking distance in the meantime, just two points behind the Minnesota Wild for first place in the division.

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