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Mattias Ekholm Added To COVID Protocol

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When the Nashville Predators take the ice against the Boston Bruins this afternoon they will be missing another one of their cornerstone players. The team has announced that defenseman Mattias Ekholm has been placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol. With forward Filip Forsberg also still on the COVID list, the Predators will be missing two impact players for the foreseeable future.

Ekholm is part of Nashville’s dominant top pair alongside Roman Josi, who each play over 23 minutes of ice time per night. While the second pair of Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro have performed well this season, Ekholm’s absence will be felt, especially if he misses an extended stretch. The Predators have a busy week ahead, starting a stretch of five games in eight days on Saturday, with divisional match-ups against St. Louis and Winnipeg among them. While the Preds have the appearance of a division leader due to total points, their record is in fact fourth in the Central, sandwiched between the Blues and Jets. Ekholm’s stable play in big minutes and critical penalty kill role are not easily replaced, so the Predators will hope he can return to the lineup sooner rather than later.

Nashville did get one name back from the COVID Protocol though and that is forward Yakov Trenin. The physical winger has cleared the protocol’s requirement and is back in the lineup on Saturday. Trenin is fifth among Predators forwards with nine goals this season and in the top ten in points too, well on his way to a career year.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/15/22

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Today marks the busiest slate of games in the NHL since the calendar flipped to 2022, even with a schedule change. All 32 clubs were in fact expected to play today, but with three postponements in Canada, 26 teams will hit the ice on Saturday with the start times for 13 match-ups ranging over 10 hours. With so many teams preparing for action – three of whom will suit up again tomorrow as well – look for a flurry of roster activity today:

Atlantic Division

  • A top Senators prospect is getting another chance to stick in Ottawa. Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker has been recalled from the taxi squad, the team announced. A first-round pick in 2018, Bernard-Docker played in five games with Ottawa last season after leaving the University of North Dakota, but has only seen five NHL games so far this year. However, his consistency with AHL Belleville combined with his clear upside will make it hard for the Senators to keep him out of the lineup moving forward.

Metropolitan Division

  • The New York Rangers have been keeping busy today. The team first announced that goaltender Keith Kinkaid has been reassigned from the taxi squad to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack with prospect Tyler Wall recalled in his place. This is likely an effort to get the veteran third-stringer some playing time in the minors while Wall, an impressive collegiate product of UMass Lowell, earns some experience working with the NHL group. Next, the team made the welcomed reveal that forwards Julien Gauthier and Ryan Reaves, as well as head coach Gerard Gallant and assistant Mike Kelly, have cleared COVID Protocol. As a result, they announced the corresponding move of forward Anthony Greco returning to the taxi squad. Greco made his Rangers debut on Thursday, his first NHL game since 2018 and just the second of his six-year pro career despite strong AHL numbers.
  • Young New Jersey Devils netminder Akira Schmid has cleared COVID Protocol and has been reassigned to AHL Utica, the team announced. With the Devils off this weekend, Schmid will be able to shake off the rust by suiting up for some AHL action instead. The big Swiss keeper has made the uncommon and impressive jump from the USHL directly to the NHL this season, with three appearances for New Jersey as a 21-year-old first-year pro.
  • The Washington Capitals have announced the recall of veteran defenseman Michal Kempny from the taxi squad.  The 31-year-old has only suited up three times this season in the NHL, instead spending most of the year with Hershey of the AHL after clearing waivers.  He has seven assists in 24 games with the Bears.

Central Division

  • Alex Goligoski has been activated from the league’s COVID Protocol, which has had a domino effect in Minnesota. The Wild announced that fellow defensemen Calen Addison and Dakota Mermis have each been demoted as a result, with Addison moving to the taxi squad and Mermis to AHL Iowa. Goaltender Andrew Hammond and impressive rookie forward Matt Boldy have also re-joined the taxi squad. In the case of Boldy, the placement should be temporary; the 2019 first-round pick has logged three points in his first three NHL games.
  • The Nashville Predators have reshuffled their taxi squad forwards. Matt Luff has been promoted to the active roster, where has logged three points in eight games in his first season with Nashville. Meanwhile, Cody Glass has been demoted to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. In his first season in Nashville, the 2017 No. 6 overall has played in just four NHL games and has been kept off the score sheet.
  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Alexey Toropchenko from the taxi squad. The big winger has played in four games with the Blues so far this season, but with no points to show for it. Playing for his fourth different team in four years, Toropchenko has found some success with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds this season with 11 points in 26 games, but hopes he can translate that scoring into a longer stay in St. Louis.

Pacific Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have made their seemingly daily roster moves, recalling winger Samuel Fagemo and defenseman Jacob Moverare from the taxi squad.  Fagemo is tied for second in goals with AHL Ontario having scored ten times in 26 games while Moverare has eight points in 22 contests in his first full season with the Reign.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

AHL Notes: Malone, Trade, Signings

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Veteran minor leaguer Sean Malone is set to miss an extended period of time following recent surgery, reports Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Malone is a familiar name to Buffalo Sabres fans; the Harvard product has spent four of five pro seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans and three of those under contract with the Sabres. After leaving last season to sign with the Nashville Predators, Malone returned to Buffalo this off-season and has been enjoying the best season of his career with nine goals and 22 points in 23 games with Rochester. However, Hoppe writes that an undisclosed lower-body injury that has plagued the 26-year-old throughout much of his career finally caught up with him, forcing him to opt for surgery. The decision will keep Malone out at least six weeks, according to Americans head coach Seth Appert. Though Malone has only two NHL games to his credit, one with Buffalo and one with Nashville, the veteran is a trusted member of the Sabres’ organizational depth chart and one whose absence in the minors will be noticed. Appert states that Malone is a leader and “go-to guy” who has been instrumental in the development of top Sabres prospects like Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka. Though Malone is expected to be out until at least March, hopefully the veteran can return to action at full strength and hit the ground running at his current career scoring pace, perhaps even earning another chance in Buffalo.

  • The Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes completed an AHL trade on Friday, with forward Stephen Harper moving from the Chicago Wolves to the Tucson Roadrunners in exchange for future considerations. Harper was the hero of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Playoffs last season, earning postseason MVP honors for leading the Fort Wayne Komets to a title behind 13 points in 12 playoff games – all as a rookie no less. He has continued to excel at the “AA” level this year too, with 18 points in 15 games. However, the power forward hasn’t earned much more opportunity this year as a result of those efforts. Harper has played in just six AHL games this season in a limited role, which is likely what prompted a trade. The 26-year-old USports product is not exactly an NHL prospect, but has earned a chance to show what he can do at the next level and the Roadrunners appear willing to give him that opportunity.
  • Is a Daniel Briere pipeline forming between the ECHL’s Maine Mariners and the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms? The Mariners may be affiliated with the Boston Bruins, but they share an owner with the Philadelphia Flyers in Comcast Spectacor and GM and President Briere is a former long-time Flyer himself. For the third time already this season, a Mariner has signed an AHL contract with the Flyers’ affiliate in Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms announced that they have signed forward Alex Kile to a contract for the remainder of the season. Kile was the first ever signing by the Mariners when they joined the ECHL back in 2018  and the University of Michigan product has 162 points in 201 ECHL games ever since, with some AHL loans mixed in as well. With five goals and 12 points in seven games with Maine so far this year, the Phantoms decided that the 27-year-old Kile was worthy of a more permanent AHL stay.
  • The Washington Capitals have seen enough from USports forward Derek Gentile this season to put an end to his collegiate season with a pro contract. The Dalhousie University standout signed a contract with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, though he will begin his pro career in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. Gentile, the captain of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in 2019-20, missed his first collegiate season in 2020-21 but you wouldn’t know it by his play this season. Gentile recorded 15 goals and 27 points in 18 games for Dalhousie prior to his departure. And he stayed hot in his pro debut on Friday, posting two goals and an assist in his pro debut. Gentile could be in Hersey very shortly if that keeps up.

West Notes: Byram, Oilers, Milano

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There is no timeline for Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram to return from his leave of absence, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.  The blueliner was a late scratch on Tuesday and Peter Baugh of The Athletic recently reported (Twitter link) that Byram doesn’t have another concussion but is dealing with symptoms that are likely related to the previous ones he has suffered that have gotten to the point where he didn’t feel he could play.  The 21-year-old has been a key part of Colorado’s lineup when he has been healthy, logging just shy of 20 minutes a game while chipping in with 11 points in 18 contests.  However, given his concussion history, it’s quite possible that Byram will be out for a while.

More from the West:

  • The Oilers are hoping that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can resume skating next week, relays Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The center has been out since the start of the month with an undisclosed injury, a tough blow for an Edmonton team that has largely struggled for any consistent secondary scoring behind their two superstars.  Meanwhile, defenseman Kris Russell isn’t expected to return against Saturday against Ottawa; the veteran has been out for more than a month with an upper-body injury.
  • Ducks winger Sonny Milano left tonight’s game against Minnesota due to an upper-body injury, mentions Eric Stephens of The Athletic (Twitter link). He took an elbow to the face from Wild defenseman Jon Merrill and did not return.  The 25-year-old recently set a new career high in points and is up to 25 this season in 35 games.

2021 Year In Review: September

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2021 was certainly another eventful year, both on and off the rink.  Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis.  Next up is a look at September, another busy month on the NHL calendar last year when training camps got underway.

Successful Offer Sheet: It turns out the one-year, $6.1MM offer sheet that Carolina tendered to RFA center Jesperi Kotkaniemi was too much for Montreal’s comfort as they declined to match, sending the 21-year-old to the Hurricanes with the Canadiens in exchange for a pair of 2022 draft picks (first and third-rounders).  They didn’t hold onto the first rounder for long, however, as about an hour later, they sent that pick along with a 2024 second-round selection to Arizona in exchange for Christian Dvorak who they hoped would help fill the vacancy from Kotkaniemi’s departure plus Phillip Danault leaving in free agency.  The early return hasn’t been great as Dvorak has just a dozen points in 29 games this season, four fewer than Kotkaniemi.

Extensions Abound: While the window for contract extensions for players on expiring contracts opened up in July, many of those deals were instead signed in the days leading up to training camp.  In goal, Elvis Merzlikins (five years, $27MM) ensured he’ll be the starter in Columbus for the foreseeable future while Calvin Petersen (three years, $15MM) intended to do the same with Los Angeles (although with Jonathan Quick turning back the clock this season, that hasn’t happened just yet).  On the back end, Colton Parayko (eight years, $52MM) decided not to test free agency and could instead play his entire career with the Blues.

There were plenty more extensions as well.  A pair of young wingers in Philadelphia’s Joel Farabee (six years, $30MM) and Ottawa’s Drake Batherson (six years, $29.85MM) bought out the rest of their RFA years and giving them a shot at hitting the open market still in their 20’s while giving their respective teams some extra control.  Even some general managers got in on the fun as Ottawa’s Pierre Dorion and Tampa Bay’s Julien BriseBois inked extensions while Toronto GM Kyle Dubas handed head coach Sheldon Keefe a two-year extension.

Kaprizov Signs: It wasn’t four years of waiting like it was for Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov to finally come to North America but it felt like his contract talks had dragged on for quite a while.  Eventually, the two sides were able to come to terms, agreeing to a five-year, $45MM contract.  It was quite the payday for Kaprizov considering his NHL experience to that point was limited to the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign where he took home the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year.  The deal – which carries a no-move clause for the final two seasons – buys Minnesota two extra years of team control while allowing Kaprizov to get to unrestricted free agency at 29 when another long-term deal could still be feasible.

Bridge For Dahlin: After an up-and-down start to his NHL career, it was going to be interesting to see if Buffalo tried to work out a long-term contract with restricted free agent defenseman Rasmus Dahlin or opt for a bridge deal.  They chose the latter, signing the 2018 top pick to a three-year, $18MM deal.  The 21-year-old will still have one season of RFA eligibility remaining at that time and will be owed a qualifying offer of $7.2MM.  That gives both sides time to see if the blueliner can fill the lofty expectations he had when he first came into the league.

Olympic Participation: September was also a promising month when it came to Olympic participation with the NHL and NHLPA reaching an agreement to send NHL players to the games in China.  It was set to be the first best-on-best action since the 2016 World Cup.  There was an option for the league to withdraw if the COVID situation around the league became an issue.  Of course, that’s exactly what happened.  In the span of three months, things completely turned around on that front.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Kuzmenko, Boucher, Bruins, Allen

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Free agent winger Andrei Kuzmenko appears to have narrowed his list of teams he’s considering signing with for next season and the Senators are on that list, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion indicated recently they were interested in the 25-year-old who sits second in KHL scoring this season with 20 goals and 33 assists in 45 games.  Kuzmenko is expected to wait until after the season to sign, ensuring he’ll be capped at a one-year, entry-level pact while allowing him to be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2023 offseason.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with Ottawa, Dorion mentioned in an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link) that winger Tyler Boucher won’t be playing right away with OHL Ottawa. The Senators recently signed the 2021 first-round pick, ending his college eligibility but he is dealing with a lingering injury that will take a week or two to recover.
  • The Bruins announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Derek Forbort has cleared COVID protocol, missing only the minimum five days. His return will be a welcome one with John Moore being injured against Montreal on Wednesday and Matt Grzelcyk recently entering COVID protocol himself.  Meanwhile, forward Trent Frederic isn’t ready to return yet from his upper-body injury while winger Nick Foligno has resumed skating as he works his way back from his lower-body issue.
  • The Canadiens announced that goaltender Jake Allen has returned to Montreal to undergo further evaluation on an upper-body injury sustained on Wednesday in Boston. Allen was placed on injured reserve yesterday and will miss at least a week while the team won’t return back home until January 27th when their 10-game road trip (due to scheduling changes) comes to an end.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Toronto Maple Leafs

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In the spirit of the holiday season, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season approaches the midway 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 Toronto Maple Leafs.

What are the Maple Leafs thankful for?

All-Star goaltending.

The last time the Maple Leafs had a goaltender who stopped pucks at a better rate than Jack Campbell has this season, there were only 14 teams in the NHL. In 1970-71, Jacques Plante had a .944 save percentage, winning 24 of his 40 appearances at the age of 42. Since then, no one has really come anywhere close to the .935 save percentage that Campbell has posted through the first 27 games of this season. It’s been all the more important because Petr Mrazek has been injured for most of the year, limiting him to just four appearances.

Campbell was one of the goaltenders selected for the All-Star Game yesterday, but you have to wonder whether the Maple Leafs would be better off with him using the time to rest. The 30-year-old netminder has already matched his career-high in starts with 26 and will be relied on heavily as Toronto tries to chase down a divisional playoff spot.

Who are the Maple Leafs thankful for?

Auston Matthews.

While Campbell’s play may be the biggest reason for success this season, there’s simply no other answer here than Matthews, one of the league’s superstars and most marketable icons. Once again in the thick of the league goal-scoring race, Matthews has tallied an incredible 223 goals through the first 366 games of his career. Among players with at least 350 games played, that puts him fifth in goals-per-game at 0.61, even ahead of Wayne Gretzky. Only Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux, Pavel Bure, and Alex Ovechkin rank ahead of the Maple Leafs star at the moment.

While that number is obviously going to come down when he’s at the tail end of his career, that’s still way down the road for NHL fans watching a 24-year-old on a nightly basis. Given his ample defensive contributions, there aren’t many players in the entire world that can impact a game the way Matthews does. If the Maple Leafs ever win anything, it’ll probably be because of him.

What would the Maple Leafs be even more thankful for?

A return to form for Jake Muzzin.

One of the biggest changes this season for the Maple Leafs has been the decline of Muzzin, who went–seemingly over one summer–from a player capable of propping up a partner to one that needs someone else to cover his flaws It’s not that he’s been terrible, but no longer has he been able to carry a shutdown second pairing and go up against the league’s best with positive results. In fact, Muzzin has been on the ice for 29 goals against at five-on-five this season, the most on Toronto and tied for 19th-most among all league defensemen. Part of that is the heavy defensive deployment he’s given, but the 32-year-old has also looked a step slower this season, leading to more turnovers and odd-man rush attempts.

What should be on the Maple Leafs’ wish list?

A right-shot partner for Muzzin.

That’s why the most obvious thing the Maple Leafs need to do is find Muzzin a partner that he no longer has to prop up. Justin Holl benefited greatly from the partnership the last two seasons, but with Muzzin’s decline, it’s been him that sticks out the most. Overmatched at times and completely lost at others, if the Maple Leafs are going to go anywhere in the playoffs they need to find that elusive top-four, right-shot defenseman that they’ve been coveting for years.

With Holl now in the COVID protocol, young defenseman Timothy Liljegren will get a look beside Muzzin. If he shows he’s not quite ready for that elevated role, Toronto is risking another early playoff exit if they don’t address the second pairing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ross Johnston Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has handed out a stiff penalty to New York Islanders forward Ross Johnston, suspending him three games for his hit on New Jersey Devils forward A.J. Greer. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that the head is the main point of contact on this hit as Johnston’s shoulder makes clear, forceful contact with the head of Greer, and the head absorbes the brunt of the force from the check. Further, the head contact on this play is avoidable. Greer’s head remains on a level and consistent plane throughout the play and he does not adjust his speed suddenly. While Greer does pivot while he collects the puck and moves his body as he shoots the puck, this movement does not happen immediately prior to, or simultaneous with the hit in a way that significantly contributes to the head being the main point of contact. 

While he did not leave the game initially, Greer was under evaluation from the Devils’ medical team following the match. Today, head coach Lindy Ruff told team reporter Amanda Stein that Greer is doing okay, but that he is going to miss “serious time.” That injury is an important factor in the decision to suspend Johnston for three games, despite his clean history in the NHL. He has never been fined or suspended previously, though some will remember his 15-game suspension while still in the QMJHL.

Johnston will now miss games against the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers as he serves his suspension. The forward will also now have a history of supplementary discipline in the NHL which will be considered in any future rulings.

Snapshots: Canadiens, Staal, Brown

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The Montreal Canadiens are getting closer to naming a new general manager, as Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports they’ve narrowed their search to just three candidates. Engels believes that Daniel Briere and Mathieu Darche are two of those three, and notes that some of the other candidates interviewed could still land different positions with the organization.

Montreal has been without a GM since firing Marc Bergevin in November, but with Jeff Gorton in place as executive vice president of hockey operations, there was no rush to fill the position. Even the new hire isn’t expected to carry the same weight of responsibility that Bergevin did over the last decade and was always expected to be someone with less experience in NHL front offices. While Darche has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2019, Briere has been serving as GM and president of the Maine Mariners of the ECHL the last several years.

  • While Eric Staal is focused on the Olympics with Team Canada, he spoke to Michael Russo of The Athletic and indicated that he would gladly drop that dream to sign in the NHL immediately, if a team offered him a contract. It isn’t likely that contract is going to come with the Minnesota Wild, even though Staal is currently with their AHL affiliate on a professional tryout. Staal currently sits at 1,293 regular season games played and could become just the 64th player in NHL history to break 1,300 should he sign for the stretch run this year.
  • Connor Brown played more than 19 minutes last night, scoring a goal and an assist in the Ottawa Senators win over the Calgary Flames. He did it all with a broken jaw, apparently, as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN radio today that the forward was hit with a puck in the warm-up that caused the injury. He’ll is considered out week-to-week now as he recovers. Brown has five goals and 19 points in 26 games this season.

Florida Panthers Sign Evan Fitzpatrick

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The Florida Panthers have signed Evan Fitzpatrick to a one-year, two-way contract to give the team some additional goaltending depth. Fitzpatrick had been playing in the minor leagues on an AHL contract but will have that voided now to get an NHL deal. That allows the Panthers to bring him up to the taxi squad, which they have immediately done as they deal with absences at the NHL level.

Fitzpatrick, 23, was a second-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2016 but failed to receive a qualifying offer from them when his entry-level contract expired in 2021. That made him an unrestricted free agent and looking for a job, which he found with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The young netminder signed a two-year AHL contract in August and had split this season between Charlotte and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL, seeing much more time in the low minors than the AHL.

Now, he’ll basically become a practice goaltender for the Panthers, who have recently been forced to navigate absences from Spencer Knight and Jonas Johansson due to COVID protocols. With Fitzpatrick in place, the team will at least always have a professional goaltender to go in as a backup, should the team run into any more last-minute absences.

While the release does not include the financial details, it is very likely that Fitzpatrick will carry a cap hit of just $750K at the NHL level–a cap hit that is completely buried while the waiver-exempt goaltender is on the taxi squad or in the minor leagues. Technically this will leave Fitzpatrick as a restricted free agent at the end of the season, though he would once again be a candidate to go unqualified.

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