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Injury Notes: Matthews, Theodore, Karlstrom, Dach

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The Toronto Maple Leafs had a welcome sight at practice today when Auston Matthews joined the main group for the first time. Matthews is rehabbing from offseason wrist surgery and had been working out on his own previously, but will now be part of the non-contact drills as he progresses toward full strength. The star center is still on track to be ready for the start of the season, though it is not clear if he will participate in any of the team’s remaining exhibition games.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights were missing Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb at practice today, though neither one is considered seriously injured. Head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic that Theodore is day-to-day, while McNabb does not have any structural damage to his injured leg. Mark Stone, who was also dealing with a minor injury, was back at practice and “is going to be fine” according to DeBoer.
  • The Dallas Stars had both Jani Hakanpaa and Fredrik Karlstrom leave last night’s game with injuries, but head coach Rick Bowness tells team reporter Mike Heika that the former will be just day-to-day. Karlstrom meanwhile will be out “longer” than that, though it’s not clear exactly what that means. The 23-year-old forward has spent the last several seasons in the SHL but is in camp competing for a spot on the NHL roster as his entry-level deal approaches its expiry. Karlstrom is only under contract through the end of this season and has to this point not played a professional game in North America.
  • Kirby Dach, who missed a huge chunk of last season due to wrist surgery, told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that he’s feeling back to 100 percent and has for a while now. He no longer has to think about the injured wrist, which limited him to just 18 games in 2020-21. Still just 20 years old, Dach is poised to assume a huge amount of responsibility for the Blackhawks as a top-six center and should be considered a true breakout contender, given his likely linemates. If the Blackhawks want to contend for the playoffs this season, they’ll need a big performance out of the young forward.

Bode Wilde Loaned To Vasterviks IK

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The New York Islanders have loaned prospect Bode Wilde to Vasterviks IK in Sweden for the upcoming season. Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello explained earlier this month that one unvaccinated player in the organization would be loaned overseas, and as Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweeted last week, Wilde appears to be that player.

Wilde, 21, is under contract through the 2022-23 season and appeared in 22 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season. The 41st overall pick in 2018, his skating ability and size made him a scout’s dream but Wilde has yet to show he is ready for the NHL. In 42 games at the AHL level, he has eight points and still likely needs some development before taking the next step. How this loan affects his status in the Islanders organization is obviously not clear, though he now will not be able to work on a day-to-day basis with their development or coaching teams.

Of note, Vasterviks IK is not in the SHL, but the second tier in Sweden which is called HockeyAllsvenskan. That lower league should provide Wilde with an opportunity to excel if given the ice time and opportunity.

Conner Bleackley Signs In ECHL

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In 2013, the Colorado Avalanche selected Nathan MacKinnon. In 2015, they picked Mikko Rantanen. Those two players would go on to be the building blocks of a team that is a top contender for the Stanley Cup, but in between, there was a draft class as forgettable as any in franchise history. The 2014 Colorado class has just 66 games to its name, all by Anton Lindholm, who currently plays in the KHL.

The first pick by Colorado that year was a WHL center named Conner Bleackley, selected 23rd overall after he scored 68 points in 71 games for the Red Deer Rebels. He had been named captain of the Rebels at a young age and looked like a good bet as a two-way contributor down the middle, a nice complement to MacKinnon’s huge upside. Bleackley would never get that chance with the Avalanche though, as he was shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes (along with fellow 2014 draft pick Kyle Wood) for Mikkel Boedker in 2016 before he even signed an entry-level contract. With just months to go before his draft rights expired, Bleackley didn’t reach a deal with the Coyotes either, meaning he could re-enter the 2016 draft.

This time, after dealing with injuries and failing to take a step forward in his final two years of junior, Bleackley fell to the fifth round where the St. Louis Blues used the 144th pick on him. The Coyotes ended up getting a compensation pick instead (which helped them move up in the first round to select Jakob Chychrun), and Bleackley would finally sign his entry-level deal, this time with St. Louis.

Unfortunately, that promising two-way NHL center never appeared, and Bleackley has bounced around the minor leagues ever since. He’s no longer an NHL prospect, but that doesn’t mean his playing career is over. The 25-year-old has signed with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners for the 2021-22 season, returning to a team he played for in 2019-20. Overall, Bleackley has suited up for the Chicago Wolves, Missouri Mavericks, Tulsa Oilers, San Antonio Rampage, Texas Stars, Idaho Steelheads, Hartford Wolf Pack, Allen Americans, and the Mariners since turning pro in 2016.

NHL Opens New Investigation Into Evander Kane

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Sep 28: Though Kane has been cleared of the gambling allegations, two new investigations will keep him away from training camp for the time being. The Sharks released a statement on September 23 explaining that the two sides had agreed he will stay away from camp until the matter is resolved. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the league is investigating a potential breach of COVID protocol, though could not provide any details on the violation. In a story published on NHL.com when the gambling investigation was concluded, the league announced that there was an “allegation of inappropriate behavior potentially jeopardizing the health and safety of Club members.”

Sep 22: The NHL has concluded its investigation into Evander Kane and the allegations that he gambled on league games. They have found no evidence to support those allegations, or allegations that Kane made any effort to negatively impact his own games. The investigation was conducted by Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, in conjunction with NHL Security. Earlier this offseason, allegations were made on social media by Kane’s estranged wife, which triggered the investigation.

The report states:

The investigation uncovered no evidence to corroborate Ms. Kane’s accusations that Mr. Kane bet or otherwise participated in gambling on NHL games, and no evidence to corroborate the allegations that Mr. Kane ‘threw’ games or did not put forward his best effort to help the Sharks win games. To the contrary, the evidence raises doubts about the veracity of the allegations.

While Mr. Kane denied the accusations, our findings are not based on these denials but instead on other evidence uncovered during the investigation.

This investigation reviewed social media, public data, court filings from Kane’s bankruptcy and divorce proceedings, sports betting data and analysis, while also interviewing members of the Sharks organization and Kane himself. His wife refused to participate in the investigation.

While he has been cleared of the gambling allegations, the release indicates that a separate investigation into Kane is ongoing:

Additional unrelated allegations, however, involving potential wrongdoing by Mr. Kane have been brought to our attention. These allegations are being thoroughly investigated and the National Hockey League will have no further comment regarding their substance pending completion of that process.

A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reported that Kane’s wife filed a domestic violence restraining order application yesterday as part of her divorce case that alleges sexual assault and multiple instances of domestic battery. Kane’s attorney made it clear that the Sharks forward denies all of those allegations. It is not clear if these are the allegations that the NHL is investigating, or what kind of timeline this separate investigation will be on.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/28/21

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Training camp is still just a few days old, but teams continue to pare down their rosters. The waiver process doesn’t open until later this week, but junior and minor league players are already being sent away from the main group. As always, we’ll keep track of all of the cuts right here.

Anaheim Ducks (via press release)

F Sean Tschigerl (to Calgary, WHL)
F Logan Nijhoff (released from ATO)
D Mikael Diotte (released from ATO)
D Miguel Tourigny (released from ATO)

Florida Panthers (via team Twitter)

F Justin Sourdif (to Vancouver, WHL)
D Evan Nause (to Quebec, QMJHL)
D Braden Hache (to Kingston, OHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)

D Daniil Sobolev (to Windsor, OHL)

New York Rangers (via team Twitter)

F Tanner Fritz (to Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)
F Austin Rueschhoff (to Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)
D Tarmo Reunanen (to Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via press release)

F Justin Almeida (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jan Drozg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via press release)

F Tanner Dickinson (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)

F Haakon Hanelt (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
F Bear Hughes (to Spokane, WHL)
D Martin Has (to Kitchener, OHL)
D Dru Krebs (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
G Garin Bjorklund (to Medicine Hat, WHL)

This page will be updated throughout the day

Rangers Loan Karl Henriksson To Sweden

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Although the New York Rangers signed Karl Henriksson to his entry-level contract this past spring, he will once again be playing back at home in Sweden this season. Among the training camp cuts today came news that the Rangers had loaned the skilled center to the SHL’s Frolunda HC, the organization with whom he has spent the past five seasons. Henriksson, the team’s 2019 second-round pick, will have to wait another year to make his North American debut.

Henriksson, 20, may be the Rangers’ top prospect not already in the NHL. A two-way center with strong skating and puck possession skills, Henriksson looks like someone who should be in the league at some point. He has already made his mark on the top level in Sweden with 54 games played as a teenager, and looks ready to take on an even bigger role this season after recording two points in four games with Frolunda in Champions League play this summer.

While the young pivot is certainly still developing, it is interesting to see the Rangers send him back to Sweden – and so quickly. New York has admitted that they have a weakness down the middle and need to find another top-six center. Yet, they are not giving much of an opportunity to their best internal option to eventually fill that role. Letting Henriksson adjust to the North American game in the AHL this season rather than returning to the SHL might have been worth some more consideration. Even if they still felt that he was best served going back home, they could have at least given him a taste of NHL play this preseason. Perhaps the club is not yet sold on Henriksson’s upside, something that the young center will try to change this season by establishing himself as a capable pro in Sweden.

Canucks’ Brady Keeper Out Indefinitely With Broken Leg

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When new Vancouver Canucks defenseman Brady Keeper went down in obvious pain following a blocked shot in practice in on Saturday and had to be stretched off the ice, the result was never going to be good. However, the hope was that Keeper’s injury would not cost him his entire debut season with the Canucks after signing a two-year, one-way contract this summer. While the team has not provided a definitive diagnosis or recovery timeline, it unfortunately seems likely that Keeper will miss extensive time, if not the whole season. Head coach Travis Green updated the media today and disclosed that Keeper did in fact suffer a fractured leg on the blocked shot. The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal adds that Keeper underwent surgery this morning.

Some sources are reporting that Keeper suffered both a fractured tibia and fibula, while others have merely stuck with “broken leg” until an official confirmation from the Canucks. Either way, there is a chance that Keeper may not be able to return this season, especially since the fracture required surgery. Timelines vary for recoveries from a broken leg, but the most recent cases in the NHL all cost players a minimum of three months. This would actually be a positive result for Keeper, getting him back in action after the calendar flips to January. Even if he is out close to four or five month, the extended regular season due to the Olympic break should still allow Keeper to return. However, if the defenseman is looking at a six-month recovery, considered to be the maximum for a leg fracture, the Canucks may simply shut him down rather than try to bring him back in April with so little time left in the year.

While Keeper may not be a household name and may only seem like a minor off-season addition, the 25-year-old defenseman out of the University of Maine was clearly in the Canucks’ plans this season. A Group 6 free agent from the Florida Panthers, Keeper only has two regular season NHL games to his credit, but has impressed in the AHL with his well-rounded play. His market was such this summer that Vancouver gave him a one-way contract and at a $762.5K AAV that is above the minimum salary. Keeper was expected to at least compete for an opening night roster spot with the Canucks.

Fortunately, Keeper was one of a number additions to the blue line this off-season for Vancouver. In addition to returners Tyler Myers, Travis Hamonic, Olli Juolevi, and (unsigned) Quinn Hughes, the Canucks added Oliver Ekman-Larsson as well as Keeper, Tucker Poolman, and Brad Hunt. Prospects Jack Rathbone and Jett Woo and veterans Madison Bowey and Guillaume Brisebois will also be in the mix. The Canucks have the depth to replace Keeper, but will still be disappointed to be without him for a length of time this season.

Dylan McIlrath Suspended Two Preseason And Two Regular Season Games

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Whatever Ridly Greig is having, Dylan McIlrath will take double. After the rookie forward was suspended one preseason game and one regular season game earlier today for a cross-check in the Ottawa Senators’ preseason game last night, the veteran defenseman has now been handed a pair of each for his own illegal check in the Washington Capitals’ preseason game yesterday. McIlrath knocked Boston Bruins forward (and former Hartford Wolfpack teammate) Steven Fogarty out of the game with a dangerous high hit. McIlrath left the game as well after receiving a match penalty, but that was not the end of his discipline. The league took notice and did not hesitate to respond with a considerable suspension:

After (Fogarty) moves the puck, McIlrath finishes a high, forceful check that cuts across the front of Fogarty’s core, missing the shoulder and making his head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head… McIlrath’s shoulder makes clear, forceful contact through Fogarty’s head and the head absorbs the brunt of the impact of the check. Further, the head contact on this play is avoidable. While we recognize that Fogarty does initially lower himself slightly to make a play on the puck, that movement does not happen immediately prior to or simultaneous with the hit in a way that significantly contributes to the head contact. At issue on this play rather is McIlrath’s angle of approach. While hits from the side are not illegal, they are difficult to execute legally and on this play McIlrath chooses an angle that cuts across the front of his opponent, making the head the main point of contact.

Though McIlrath is known for his physical play, the Department of Player Safety did note that he has no history of league discipline, with no suspensions or fines in 66 career NHL games. What they did take into account however is that Fogarty did suffer an injury on the play. The Bruins’ off-season addition had to be helped off the ice and did not return. As a result, not only did McIlrath commit an illegal and dangerous check, but he in fact succeeded in causing harm to his opponent.

Like Greig, it is unclear when McIlrath will actually be able to serve his regular suspension. The 29-year-old has been a frequent depth call-up over the past few years, but did not see any action at the top level last season with the Detroit Red Wings. He is far from guaranteed a spot with the Capitals to begin the year. Also like Greig, the preseason suspension further hurts McIlrath’s chances of making the opening night roster as he will miss out on at least one preseason contest that he was likely to play in, giving Washington one less opportunity to evaluate their free agent addition. McIlrath’s regular season suspension also damages his value as a replacement player, as he cannot be an emergency recall for the Caps until he has first spent two games on the active roster to burn his suspension. This incident certainly doesn’t help McIlrath’s chances with his new team, but then again he is still in a better situation than Fogarty hence the substantial retribution from the league.

Minor Transactions: 09/27/21

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Even though the regular season is right around the corner and there are tons of training camp cuts coming down the pipe, it doesn’t necessarily mean teams are finished adding. There have been a few more names brought into training camp today and as always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here:

  • According to CapFriendly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed goaltender Evan Cormier to a professional tryout, giving them an extra netminder following a few injuries. Joseph Woll and Ian Scott, two of the team’s most experienced prospects, are both out for the time being and unable to help in the preseason schedule. Cormier, who wasn’t issued a qualifying offer by the New Jersey Devils at the end of the season, can fill that role after playing 11 games with the Binghamton Devils last season. An NHL contract seems unlikely, unless the other injuries turn out to be long-term.
  • CapFriendly also reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Brandon Crawley, another player with minor league experience that can help fill out a roster during the preseason. The 24-year-old defenseman split last season between the Hartford Wolf Pack (the New York-to-Tampa pipeline continues) and Cleveland Monsters, registering one point in 20 games.

This page will be updated with any further transactions

Latest On Jack Eichel

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The Jack Eichel situation continues to drag on with no resolution one way or the other. The injured forward failed his physical last week and was stripped of the Buffalo Sabres captaincy, but he’s still not moving forward on either surgery that would potentially get him playing again at some point this season. There has been almost no information coming out of the Sabres camp on what they intend to do with Eichel (other than move him to injured reserve, where he is now listed), but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes enough is enough. On his latest 31 Thoughts podcast, Friedman suggests it is time for the league to step in:

I think the NHL has to step in, I do. I understand that the NHL wants to protect the rules of the CBA, I get that. But at the end of the day I don’t think that it is a good look for your league when you have a star player like this and a team that can’t agree on this. This player, who is a star player who can drive a franchise, is in some way held back from playing because they can’t agree on a surgery. 

I think this is one thing that the NHL can do. If Jack Eichel agrees–and I think Jack Eichel would agree–everyone should be able to see his medicals. St. Louis and Tarasenko, anyone could have seen the medicals. If anyone has seen [Eichel’s] medicals aside from the Sabres, I don’t know it.

Friedman, like other reporters who have been following this story, can’t confidently confirm that no other team has seen any of Eichel’s medicals, but the shroud surrounding them is still making this an extremely difficult situation to resolve. It’s hard to trade a player making $10MM even when healthy, but the lack of information certainly makes this one seem impossible. Co-host Jeff Marek suggests that with opening day coming in short order, we could already be approaching a lost season for Eichel given the impasse the two sides have reached.

One other thing that Friedman mentions is the possibility of a tolled contract, meaning that this year wouldn’t count if Eichel sits out the year under a team suspension. It would mean his contract would be extended through the 2026-27 season, though that outcome does not seem likely at this point.

A few days ago, Nick Kypreos of Line Movement tweeted that Eichel had made it clear he would go anywhere, though he doesn’t have control over that anyway. His no-movement clause does not come into play until the fifth year of his contract. Kypreos added that at least one of the interested teams would want the Sabres to add conditions to any draft picks involved, based on his games played and scoring totals after surgery.

The Sabres start the regular season on October 14, and it is not at all clear whether this situation will be resolved by then.

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