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Senators Place Nick Holden And Jack Capuano In COVID Protocol

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The Senators have added to their COVID list as the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Nick Holden and associate coach Jack Capuano have been placed into COVID protocol.  Taking Holden’s place on the roster will be blueliner Erik Brannstrom who has been recalled from AHL Belleville.

Holden is in his first season with Ottawa and has played in all but one of their 11 games so far, recording an assist while averaging 17:35 per game of ice time, primarily on the third pairing.  It’s his presence on the roster that played a role in Brannstrom being sent to the minors at the start of the season as having the 22-year-old as a healthy scratch with the Senators would hardly have been ideal from a development perspective.  Brannstrom has a goal and two assists in nine games with AHL Belleville so far this season.

Capuano and Holden will join winger Austin Watson in the protocols after Watson was added there back on Friday and will be there for at least ten days.  While some teams have had some cap challenges when players are added to the list, that won’t be the case for the Sens who will still have more than $12MM in cap room following Brannstrom’s promotion, per CapFriendly.

Snapshots: Dermott, Larkin, Bozak, Oshie

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While Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott has been in trade speculation over the past week or so, he doesn’t seem to be worried about it, telling TSN’s Mark Masters that he’s not too worried about it, referencing it’s not the first time he has been in speculation.  Part of the rationale behind the idea he could move was for salary cap purposes although the injury to Petr Mrazek – which will keep him out long enough to be LTIR-eligible – lessens the need to make a move to free up cap room in the short term.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Red Wings center Dylan Larkin has returned to the team after missing the last three games due to unspecified personal reasons, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The 25-year-old is a welcome return having averaged a point per game through his first eight games while averaging nearly 18 minutes a night and playing in all situations.
  • With Blues center Tyler Bozak suiting up tonight Anaheim, he triggers a $750K bonus in his contract, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Those are supposed to be charged in the year they’re earned but a team can go over the cap with bonuses and take the charge the following season.  Considering their current cap situation, the latter could be the case with Bozak, who still has three other bonuses in his deal, per CapFriendly.
  • Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that although winger T.J. Oshie is currently in a walking boot, he is expected to return to the ice in some capacity this week. That would certainly be welcome news for Washington which has been hit hard on the injury front with center Nicklas Backstrom and Anthony Mantha also out of the lineup at the moment.

Central Notes: Girard, Forsberg, Blues

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Colorado has assembled an impressive back end, a group that has been bolstered by the return of Erik Johnson and the emergence of sophomore Bowen Byram.  The 20-year-old has been strong enough this season that Mike Chambers of the Denver Post suggests that blueliner Samuel Girard could plausibly be made available if the Avalanche decide to try to add to their forward group between now and the trade deadline.  Girard is signed through 2026-27 with a $5MM AAV, a reasonable price for someone that consistently logs over 20 minutes per game while chipping in a little offensively as well.  If the Avs were to make the 23-year-old available, he’d garner plenty of interest around the league.

More from the Central Division:

  • J.P. Barry, the agent for Predators winger Filip Forsberg, confirmed to Adam Vingan of The Athletic (subscription link) that there still have been no discussions on a possible contract extension with the veteran in the final year of his deal. While Forsberg has indicated a willingness to merely play the year out and see what happens after the season, Barry added that he does expect to have those contract talks at some point during the regular season.  The 27-year-old is likely eyeing a raise on his current $6MM AAV but is currently out with an upper-body injury.
  • While the Blues were hoping for some cap relief in their current COVID situation, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they won’t be receiving any: “There is not currently an intention to provide cap relief for Covid-related reasons. No different than having to deal with multiple short-term injuries. St. Louis is not at all unique in having to navigate these waters.” St. Louis has had six different players enter the protocols in recent days and while they’ve managed to carry a minimum-sized roster, any other addition or injury will place them in a situation where they’ll have to play short a player for a game before becoming eligible for a cap-exempt recall.

Minor Transactions: 11/07/21

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Today may not be a busy day on the NHL schedule, but it’s certainly been a hectic day on the transactions slate at all levels of the game. There was a lot of action today on the NHL to AHL wire, but there have been some other moves today, too. Keep up with today’s minor transactions here.

  • New York Rangers goalie prospect Talyn Boyko was dealt in the WHL today from the Tri-City Americans to the Kelowna Rockets. Boyko was drafted in the fourth round in 2021, largely because of his massive 6′ 8″ frame. However, it’s been a rough start for Boyko with a 1-6-1 record and .887 save percentage on the season. Hopefully a move to Kelowna turns his fortunes around this season.
  • Carolina Hurricanes netminder Beck Warm was re-assigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves from the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals, per the AHL transactions page. The move comes after Alex Lyon was brought up to Carolina today in the wake of Antti Raanta’s injury Saturday, meaning Chicago needed another goaltender. Warm’s impressed in the ECHL with a 4-1-0 record and .921 save percentage to start the year.

Injury Notes: O’Reilly, Wild, Schenn

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St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly is likely to return to the lineup Sunday night when they take on the Anaheim Ducks, per Blues writer Chris Pinkert. The 30-year-old center missed the team’s last four games while in COVID-19 protocol. He’s likely to return to top-line duties between David Perron as well as Brandon Saad, who’s also missed time while in COVID-19 protocol this season. Prior to departing the lineup, O’Reilly had five points in five games while averaging 19:13 of ice time per game.

Other injury notes from around the league:

Ottawa Senators Assign Filip Gustavsson To AHL

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Per the Ottawa Senators communications department, the team re-assigned goalie Filip Gustavsson to the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Sunday.

The Senators have largely operated with a trio of netminders this season as starter Matt Murray’s health has been an issue at multiple points already so far in the season. But as he returns to full health, the team has opted to send Gustavsson, who does not require waivers, to Belleville.

It’s worth noting that the team currently has an active roster of 22 players and could indeed carry a third goalie as a healthy scratch.

Gustavsson has performed the best out of Ottawa’s three netminders this season with a .911 save percentage through five games played. Neither Murray’s or Anton Forsberg’s save percentage eclipses the .900 mark.

While many believe that the 23-year-old Swede has played himself into a backup or even starting role with Ottawa, the organization continues to value the positional depth, not willing to expose Forsberg to waivers in order to assign him to Belleville.

It’s highly likely that Gustavsson will return to the Ottawa roster at some point this season as he continues what’s been a strong development path since arriving in the Ottawa Senators organization.

Department Of Player Safety Fines Derick Brassard For Unsportsmanlike Conduct

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The NHL Department of Player Safety today fined Philadelphia Flyers forward Derick Brassard $2,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct toward the Washington Capitals’ Garnet Hathaway during a game Saturday night, as announced today.

The play in question involved Brassard delivering a punch to Hathaway’s face while standing on the Flyers bench. Hathaway was on the ice. Brassard was given an interference penalty on the play.

Brassard has stepped up in a big way for the Flyers this season, scoring two goals and five assists for seven points in 10 games during his first season as a Flyer. Brassard has seen an elevated role in the absence of the injured Kevin Hayes, centering the team’s second line between Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson.

The 34-year-old joined the team by signing a one-year, $825,000 contract on August 25. The Flyers are his sixth different team during the past four seasons. Brassard spent last season with the Arizona Coyotes, scoring just eight goals and 20 points, his lowest totals since his rookie season in 2007-08.

Blackhawks Won’t Hire New Coach Until Offseason

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The Chicago Blackhawks removed Jeremy Colliton from his position as head coach yesterday, meaning they are now dealing with interim hires at the general manager and coaching positions. Kyle Davidson is serving as interim GM after Stan Bowman’s resignation, while Derek King who had been with the Rockford IceHogs is taking over behind the bench for the time being. Today, both men spoke with the media and Davidson explained to reporters including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that the organization will not hire a new coach until after this season is completed. He believes it will allow for a more thorough search, giving the Blackhawks access to all available candidates.

Davidson will add an assistant to the current coaching staff at some point, though he noted that King will be leaning heavily on Marc Crawford during this transition. Crawford was not let go with the rest of the previous staff.

The Blackhawks have gone through a complete overhaul to hockey leadership over the last few weeks and are now 1-9-2 on the season after another embarrassing loss on Friday night. The team has allowed 47 goals through their first 12 games, second only to the Arizona Coyotes for worst in the league. This comes after an offseason with several blockbuster acquisitions, including Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury. Jones cost the organization a substantial package of future assets and was signed to an eight-year, $76MM contract by Bowman in July.

Davidson noted that he “is not Stan” and that there will likely be philosophical differences in how he runs the team moving forward. He has the support of ownership and full power of the general manager position, even if he is still carrying the interim tag for the time being.

Delaying the coaching search until the offseason means that King will have control of the Blackhawks for the remaining 70 games, his first NHL coaching opportunity. A veteran of more than 800 games as a player, King had been the head coach of the IceHogs since partway through the 2018-19 season, taking over when Colliton was promoted to the NHL job. He had previously been an assistant coach with the Toronto Marlies and Owen Sound Attack.

Petr Mrazek Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Toronto Maple Leafs hoped to take a cautious approach to the health of their goaltenders this season, signing Petr Mrazek to help insulate Jack Campbell so that neither one was overworked. Instead, it appears as though Campbell will need to carry the load for the next while. Mrazek has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 4 and is expected to miss approximately four weeks.

Mrazek, 29, suffered a groin injury in his first appearance of the season, stretching to stop a shot at the end of the second period. He didn’t finish that game, and was out for more than two weeks, forcing the Maple Leafs to go with Michael Hutchinson once again as the backup. Mrazek returned on October 30 and recorded his first win for Toronto, only to reaggravate the injury over the last week. It will now likely be December before he appears in his third game of the season, certainly not the situation the team was hoping for when they signed him to a three-year deal this summer.

In fact, for a team like Toronto that is constantly dancing around the salary cap ceiling, Mrazek’s $3.8MM hit was a substantial investment. While Campbell has performed incredibly well in his time as a Maple Leaf, he too has a long injury history and has never played more than 31 games in a single season. The 29-year-old is already up to ten this year, with many more to come while Mrazek recovers.

Instead of Hutchinson this time, the Maple Leafs recalled prospect, Joseph Woll, to serve as the team’s backup last night. Woll had been dealing with an injury of his own last time they needed a netminder, but it’s unclear if he’ll actually make his NHL debut or just sit on the bench while Campbell plays every game. The Maple Leafs do have a back-to-back situation coming up next week, playing the Calgary Flames on Friday and then traveling to Buffalo for Saturday night.

AHL Shuffle: 11/07/21

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Just five games are on tap for this evening, but that will include the final team without a regulation win. After last night’s Arizona Coyotes victory, the Dallas Stars are the only team in the league that hasn’t managed to finish a game in the first 60 minutes, though they have secured two points on four occasions. The Stars will take on the Vancouver Canucks this evening. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling:

Atlantic Division

  • After their latest win, the Florida Panthers have made a swap, sending Chase Priskie to the AHL and recalling Lucas Carlsson. The 24-year-old Carlsson has six points in eight games for the Charlotte Checkers this season, showing once again that he can be a top performer at the minor league level. Since arriving from the Chicago Blackhawks, he has yet to get into a game with the Panthers.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled forwards Joey Anderson and Kirill Semyonov from the Toronto Marlies to give the team some extra bodies. The team has some additional roster flexibility after it was announced today that netminder Petr Mrazek will be placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. Anderson is off to a slow-ish start with the Marlies with just four points in nine games, but Semyonov is impressing with a goal and eight assists in his first season of North American hockey.
  • According to a team tweet, the Detroit Red Wings assigned center Joe Veleno to the Grand Rapids Griffins in order to make room for defenseman Gustav Lindstrom, who the team activated from injured reserve. Veleno had two points in four games during his call-up, looking impressive in a top-six role.

Metropolitan Division

  • After the team activated Ryan Reaves for last night’s game, the New York Rangers have officially sent Greg McKegg back to the AHL. The 29-year-old McKegg has played in eight games this season but has been held scoreless. He cleared waivers before the season began, but was still eligible to be sent down without having to clear again.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes recalled netminder Alex Lyon from the Chicago Wolves today, according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Goalie Antti Raanta left Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers after colliding with forward Ryan Lomberg.
  • Defenseman Nick Seeler was loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by the Philadelphia Flyers today, per the team. The move leaves Philadelphia with only six defensemen on the active roster, meaning that Ryan Ellis is likely to return to the lineup Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • The Washington Capitals recalled forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby from the Hershey Bears Sunday. Jonsson-Fjallby found himself in the news prior to the season’s start after being claimed by the Buffalo Sabres on waivers but was reclaimed by Washington less than a week after the fact. Jonsson-Fjallby could make his NHL debut after posting seven points in nine games with Hershey to start the year.

Central Division

Pacific Division

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