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Tucker Poolman Suspended Two Games

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without Tucker Poolman for the next two games after he was handed a suspension from the Department of Player Safety for his high-stick on Kiefer Sherwood. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that this is not a play where a player simply loses control of his stick, nor one where an off-balance player flails to try to steady himself. This is not a hockey play. This is an intentional and retaliatory stick swing, that strikes an opponent directly in the head. Such actions cannot be excused.

Given Poolman’s clean history, with no fines or suspensions so far in his career, and the fact that Sherwood did not suffer a serious injury on the play, the suspension was limited at two games. He did also receive a match penalty and game misconduct, though it occurred in the third period of a game that was already well out of hand.

That certainly won’t be the case going forward however, as this penalty will be considered in the future for any further supplementary discipline.

The Canucks recalled Madison Bowey earlier today, anticipating the suspension.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel Placed On Waivers

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With Kevin Hayes approaching a return to action, the Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel on waivers. The team does have a roster spot open, but given Hayes will be coming off long-term injured reserve, the Flyers are in a tight cap situation and aren’t able to just add him directly to the group.

Aube-Kubel meanwhile is a legitimate candidate to be claimed, given his relative youth and versatility. The 25-year-old forward has played in seven games so far this season, averaging just under ten minutes a night. A physical presence that is not short on energy, the 2014 second-round pick has 233 hits in 102 career games. That’s only come with 28 points, but given his strong minor league results, there’s at least an argument to be made that he could provide a little more offensive with increased minutes.

One thing that may help him clear however is his contract, which carries a $1.075MM cap hit this season and pays Aube-Kubel $1.225MM in actual salary. There are cheaper options out there for a fourth line, so any team dealing with their own cap restraints may not be able to afford the addition.

If he does clear tomorrow, he’ll be able to return to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, an organization he’s very familiar with. Aube-Kubel has played 229 games for the team since turning pro, scoring 50 goals in the process.

Three Players Clear Waivers

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Nov 12: Comeau and Kero have both cleared waivers, according to Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News. They can now be assigned to the minor leagues. Grimaldi has also cleared for the Predators.

Nov 11: Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Blake Comeau and Tanner Kero of the Dallas Stars, and Rocco Grimaldi of the Nashville Predators have all been placed on waivers today.

Comeau is clearly the biggest surprise of the three, given his place with the Stars and history in the NHL. The veteran winger has been wearing an “A” as an alternate captain at times this year and has more than 900 games played at the NHL level. Many of those have come with the Stars, who he has been with since 2018, when he signed a three-year, $7.2MM deal with the club in free agency.

Now on a one-year, $1MM contract he signed in June, Comeau’s cap hit will be entirely buried in the minor leagues even though he is a 35+ player. The restrictions on those contracts were changed in the 2020 CBA Memorandum of Understanding, but even before that his one-year deal would have been able to come off the cap if they assign him to the minor leagues.

It’s been years since Comeau was forced to play in the AHL though and it seems as though he and Grimaldi could potentially get claimed, if a team needs an experienced forward. Grimaldi has been a regular for the past three years in Nashville and even scored ten goals in 40 games last season. Kero doesn’t have quite as much experience, but did suit up 39 times for the Stars.

Notably, this is a change for Dallas, who have seemed unable to drag themselves out of the bottom of the Western Conference standings. The team has lost another two games in a row, sit at 4-6-2 on the year, and have a -12 goal differential. The organization has some young players that could potentially inject some energy into the lineup, but Comeau’s placement on waivers still comes as something of a surprise.

Marcus Pettersson, Chad Ruhwedel Added To COVID Protocol

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Nov 12: Despite clearing the protocol yesterday, Pettersson and Ruhwedel are still ineligible to travel with the Penguins to Canada for tomorrow’s game against the Ottawa Senators. With that in mind, the team has actually placed both back on the protocol, for the time being, allowing them to recall Juuso Riikola and Louis Domingue for the short road trip. Pettersson actually also suffered an injury last night in his return and played just four minutes, but there was no update on his status today.

Tristan Jarry will not travel with the team to Canada either, meeting them in Washington for Sunday’s game against the Capitals instead. This explains Domingue’s recall, as he will serve as backup tomorrow night.

Nov 11: The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting some reinforcements back from the COVID protocol, as both Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel have been activated today. To make room, Taylor Fedun and Juuso Riikola were assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Pettersson especially is a big piece to get back, given his role on the team in the early part of the season. Through eight games, Pettersson was averaging more than 18 minutes a night and had recorded four points. He still leads the team in +/- with a +7 in the early part of the year, and had been recording very strong possession statistics.

Both players were called game-time decisions by assistant coach Todd Reirden, who is still filling in while Mike Sullivan is in the protocol. Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin remain in the protocol as well.

Pettersson and Ruhwedal were both symptomatic, according to a report from the Associated Press, so it remains to be seen whether they will step right into the lineup with one day of practice and a morning skate. The Penguins could certainly use the help, given they have lost two in a row and now sit at 4-3-4 on the year, last in the Metropolitan Division.

San Jose Sharks Remove Seven Players From COVID Protocol

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As suggested by the team’s AHL assignments this morning, the San Jose Sharks have removed seven players from the COVID protocol. Kevin Labanc, Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier, Jacob Middleton, Matthew Nieto, Radim Simek, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic have all been removed from the protocol and added back to the active roster. Head coach Bob Boughner, head trainer Ray Tufts and equipment manager Mike Aldrich have also all been removed from the protocol.

Sasha Chmelevski, Joel Kellman, Artemi Kniazev, John Leonard, Ryan Merkley, Jaycob Megna, and Nicolas Meloche have all been assigned to the AHL. Nicholas Merkley, who had also been recalled with this group, remains with San Jose for the time being.

It’s obviously a huge moment for the Sharks, as they receive a good portion of their regular lineup back in time for tomorrow’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. The team is sitting at 7-5-1 on the season and is still well within striking range of the division playoff spots. Getting back key options like Labanc, Karlsson and Meier will only help them as they try to chase down the teams ahead of them.

Activating the group from the protocol is also a good sign that the team has this outbreak behind them, or at least contained. The activated players were actually able to skate in recent days, though they would not have been able to join the team in Canada given their recent positive tests. They’ll now be able to join the group in Denver, nearly two weeks after originally entering the protocol.

AHL Shuffle: 11/12/21

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Five games on a Friday for the NHL, including the seemingly unstoppable duo of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid visiting the Buffalo Sabres. The pair have now combined for 50 points through the first 12 Oilers games, and are joined by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at the top of the league’s assist table. As those teams and the rest prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling:

Atlantic Division

  • Oskar Steen has earned a recall with his strong play in the AHL. The Boston Bruins have announced that the hard-working forward has been promoted after getting off to stellar start in Providence with a team-leading ten points in seven games. Several Bruins forwards are not playing at full strength and others are under-performing, leaving opportunity open for Steen’s energetic style to make a mark.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

  • The Minnesota Wild have sent Kyle Rau back to the AHL for the time being, opening up a roster spot on an off day. The team plays tomorrow night in Seattle, and it seems likely that there will be a recall of some sort before that happens. Rau, 29, has played in three games for Minnesota this season.
  • The Dallas Stars have officially sent Blake Comeau and Tanner Kero to the AHL after they cleared waivers today, recalling Jacob Peterson in their place. Peterson, 22, scored one goal in six games with the Stars earlier this year and has been a force at the minor league level so far.
  • Rocco Grimaldi, the other player who cleared waivers today, has been assigned to the AHL by the Nashville Predators. Grimaldi hasn’t played in the AHL since 2018-19 but was a very strong contributor the last time he was down there.

Pacific Division

  • The San Jose Sharks might be out of the woods with their COVID situation, as Sasha Chmelevski, Joel Kellman, Artemi Kniazev, John Leonard, Jaycob Megna, and Ryan Merkley have all been returned to the San Jose Barracuda. The Sharks were able to hold their heads above water over the last several games and will now try to get back on track for a playoff spot in the division.
  • With Tucker Poolman likely facing a suspension, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Madison Bowey from Abbotsford. The group was run out of the building last night by the Avalanche, but now must try and regroup for a game against the Golden Knights tomorrow night.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Braydon Coburn Announces Retirement

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After a long, successful career, Braydon Coburn is hanging up his skates. The veteran defenseman announced his retirement today, issuing a statement through the NHLPA:

Walking into NHL buildings for the last 16 years, surrounded by hockey’s greatest players, coaches, management, trainers, officials, and fans, has been an incredible privilege. I’m very proud to have come into the league as an Atlanta Thrasher, proudly wore the orange and black as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning and finished my career with the Ottawa Senators and the New York Islanders.

Thank you to my parents, grandparents, and siblings for the sacrifices you made helping me realize my NHL dream. Thank you to my minor hockey coaches for always making the game fun, and countless others that taught me how awesome it was to be a part of a team. I would also like to send a sincere thank you to my teammates, friends and family, especially my wife, Nadine, my daughter, Rory, and my son, Blair, for their patience, support and unwavering love. I’m thankful for the amazing people I have met along the way, and I am very excited for what is to come.

Coburn, 36, split last season between the Senators and Islanders, playing in 19 games total. Before that, he had spent several years with Tampa Bay, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2020. Though he was just a depth player by then, that certainly wasn’t the case for most of his career. For nine years in Philadelphia, Coburn averaged nearly 22 minutes a night, logging time in basically every situation. A huge, physical specimen standing at 6’5″, he was also talented enough with the puck to run a powerplay early in his career.

Over 983 regular season games, Coburn racked up 234 points, 720 penalty minutes, and more than 1,400 hits. He participated in the World Championship for Tema Canada on two occasions and was part of the 2005 World Junior squad that is considered one of the greatest groups of all time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tucker Poolman To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do, as Tucker Poolman will have a hearing today following his high-sticking incident last night.

After absorbing a check from Kiefer Sherwood, Poolman swung his stick and connected with the Colorado forward’s head. Poolman was issued a game misconduct and a match penalty, one that comes with an automatic review from the league. That will likely be followed by a suspension of some sort, meaning that Vancouver will be without the defenseman for the next game at least.

The Canucks are already without Travis Hamonic as they travel through a U.S. road trip. With Poolman now likely missing, they’ll have an even thinner depth chart on defense. The team was already embarrassed on the scoresheet by the Avalanche, losing 7-1, and now will head into Vegas and Anaheim before returning home.

Artem Zub Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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Things continue to get worse in terms of the amount of personnel available for the Ottawa Senators. Defenseman Artem Zub left Thursday’s game against Los Angeles with an upper-body injury, and head coach D.J. Smith says there’s “no update” on his status.

Ottawa is already without nine players due to COVID-19 protocol, including defensemen Nikita Zaitsev, Josh Brown, Victor Mete, and Nick Holden. The team is down to just nine healthy defensemen under NHL contracts now, as Jacob Bernard-Docker, Maxence Guenette, and Jonathan Aspirot remain with AHL Belleville.

The team’s depth is stretched extremely thin, as many young players are now getting NHL time sooner than expected. 2019 first-round selection Lassi Thomson made his NHL debut Thursday in place of Zaitsev.

If Zub is to miss any period of time, Bernard-Docker is the obvious choice to come up from Belleville. The 21-year-old right-shot defenseman does not require waivers and got into five games with the Senators at the tail end of last season.

Zub himself was having a great start to the 2021-22 season, notching five assists in 12 games while working his way up to the team’s top pairing with Thomas Chabot. He’s been Ottawa’s most responsible defenseman since joining the team prior to 2020-21, now averaging nearly 23 minutes a night this season.

Matvey Petrov Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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November 11: The terms of Petrov’s contract were released by CapFriendly today. The three-year, entry-level deal carries a cap hit of $843,333 per season. The year-by-year breakdown is as follows:

2021-22: $750,000 base salary, $85,000 signing bonus, $15,000 performance bonus, $75,000 minors salary
2022-23: $750,000 base salary, $85,000 signing bonus, $15,000 performance bonus, $75,000 minors salary
2023-24: $775,000 base salary, $85,000 signing bonus, $75,000 minors salary

November 10: The Edmonton Oilers have signed prospect Matvey Petrov to a three-year, entry-level contract according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. The 18-year-old forward is currently playing with the North Bay Battalion of the OHL, where he will remain for the rest of this season.

Petrov, the 180th overall pick in the 2021 draft, has lit up the OHL competition to this point, scoring 10 goals and 18 points in his first 14 games for North Bay. Those ten goals tie Petrov for fifth in the OHL, and he has recorded the eighth-most shots on goal as well. The 6’2″ forward was coming off an impressive MHL performance when he fell to the sixth round, scoring 42 points last season in the Russian junior league. His performance in the OHL so far is promising, though there’s certainly still a lot of work to do before he glimpses NHL action.

Still, signing his entry-level deal already is a solid first step for the young forward. The contract will slide for this year and could again next year, should he return to junior or is assigned overseas. In all likelihood, Petrov’s new deal will keep him under contract through the 2025-26 season, after which he would be scheduled for restricted free agency. His deal also won’t count toward Edmonton’s 50-contract limit, since he’s already assigned to junior.

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