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Carey Price Still Hopes To Play This Season

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During his press availability today, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price said he still hopes to play this season and return from the knee surgery he had in July of 2021.

The 34-year-old and future Hall of Famer said that he should know “within the next two weeks” if he can return to game action prior to the end of the season in April. Price suffered a setback in his recovery about two weeks ago, forcing him to restart the rehabilitation process on his knee.

Originally, Price was projected to miss around three months with the recovery process, and the team expected him to be ready for the start of the season. It became clear about a week prior to the puck drop on the 2021-22 campaign that he wouldn’t be healthy enough to play.

That window in October prior to the start of the season also saw him enter the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program. He completed his treatment there and returned to the team after a month in early November.

If Price is able to return, the team hopes it will balance what’s been a precarious goaltending situation all season. Neither goalie in their current tandem has been good, as Sam Montembeault (2-8-4, 3.95 GAA, .895% SV) and Cayden Primeau (1-4-1, 4.51 GAA, .879% SV) have both really struggled with full-time NHL duty.

Jake Allen (5-16-2, 2 SO, 3.15 GAA, .901 SV%) had put forth his best effort in a trying season for the Canadiens, but he’s likely on the shelf until mid-to-late March with a lower-body injury.

 

Boston Bruins Place Erik Haula In COVID Protocol

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Boston Bruins forward Erik Haula entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, per the team. They recalled forward Steven Fogarty from the AHL’s Providence Bruins to take his spot on the active roster.

Haula, despite just 16 points through his first 40 games in Boston, had been heating up as of late. Seven of those 16 points have come in his past 10 games as he seems to have found a home between Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak on the team’s second line for the time being.

Fogarty’s recall comes with the Bruins not having any healthy forwards available as scratches or on the taxi squad. The AHL veteran and former New York Ranger and Buffalo Sabre has 23 points in 26 games with Providence this year, and he’ll likely slot into the lineup tonight against the Dallas Stars.

A five-day quarantine for Haula would cause him to miss the team’s next two games against Dallas and Seattle.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Brayden McNabb, Others To Extensions

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced Sunday that they’ve come to terms on extensions with defenseman Brayden McNabb, forward Michael Amadio, and goaltender Logan Thompson.

McNabb’s three-year extension carries an average annual value of $2.85MM, Amadio’s two-year deal carries an average annual value of $762,500 and Thompson’s three-year deal is worth $766,667 per year. All three contracts begin in the 2022-23 season.

McNabb has now spent over half of his 552 NHL games with the Golden Knights. The team’s selection from the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, McNabb has 15 goals and 42 assists for 57 points over 314 NHL games in Vegas.

Vegas has used McNabb primarily in a second-pairing role since joining the team, generally with Shea Theodore. With injuries devastating Vegas this year, he’s spent significant time with both Theodore and Dylan Coghlan.

Amadio arrived in the Vegas organization a few months ago after they claimed him off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old has seven points in 25 games with Vegas this year, and 47 points in 201 career NHL games. Retaining Amadio gives Vegas some reliable depth at the fringes of their forward lineup.

Thompson made his NHL debut last season and is third on the Knights’ goalie depth chart behind Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit. His impressive numbers in the AHL suggest a bright future for the 24-year-old, who came to the organization as an undrafted free agent. He has a .928 save percentage and two shutouts in 21 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this year.

Roman Josi, Evgeny Kuznetsov Headed To All-Star Game

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The NHL announced today that in light of injuries to the Central Division’s Nathan MacKinnon and the Metropolitan Division’s Adam Fox, Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi and Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov will serve as their replacements at the 2022 All-Star Game in Las Vegas next weekend. Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski will replace MacKinnon as Central Division captain.

Josi heads to the game as Nashville’s second representative, joining goaltender Juuse Saros. The 2020 Norris Trophy winner has a spectacular 43 points in 43 games this season, enjoying what’s on pace to be the best offensive campaign of his 11-year-career. He’ll be the team’s second defenseman alongside Colorado’s Cale Makar.

Kuznetsov is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance campaign, seeing increased production back alongside Alex Ovechkin. His 43 points in 42 games put him on his first point-per-game pace since the 2017-18 season in which Washington won the Stanley Cup. He’s seeing heavy usage this year, playing over 21:25 per game under head coach Peter Laviolette.

 

Teuvo Teravainen “Doubtful” For Carolina Hurricanes Sunday

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Carolina Hurricanes right wing Teuvo Teravainen is doubtful to play for the team Sunday against the San Jose Sharks, according to head coach Rod Brind’Amour.

Teravainen missed the team’s game yesterday, a 2-1 win versus New Jersey, as well with an undisclosed injury. It was just his second missed game of the 2021-22 season.

The 27-year-old Finnish forward is fourth on the team in points with 32, potting 11 goals and 21 assists while averaging 17:58 per game. He’s most commonly seen top-line duties with Sebastian Aho at center this year.

In his absence, Jordan Martinook, who Brind’Amour has used sparingly this season (just 25 games played), will continue to play alongside Aho and rookie Seth Jarvis.

Brind’Amour said that there’s a possibility Teravainen may take warmups, so even if he doesn’t return today, it won’t be long before he’s back in the lineup.

Sabres’ Aaron Dell Clears Waivers

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Jan. 30: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Dell cleared waivers today. He will continue to serve his three-game suspension as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

Jan. 29: The Sabres appear to be set to get Craig Anderson back tonight, lessening their need for goaltending depth.  Accordingly, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve placed netminder Aaron Dell on waivers.

Dell was in the news earlier this week when he received a three-game suspension for his hit on Senators winger Drake Batherson.  Two games still remain on that ban, one of which is tonight in Arizona.  As long as he’s on the active roster and not moved to non-roster status, he still should get credit for serving the second game of his suspension even while being on waivers.

It has been a rough season on the ice as well for the 32-year-old as he has struggled mightily in his NHL action so far.  He has played in a dozen games for Buffalo in 2021-22, recording just one victory while posting a 4.03 GAA and a save percentage of just .893.  Those numbers are actually better than what he put up in seven games with New Jersey last season which is what led to him settling for a two-way deal worth the league minimum of $750K in the NHL and $350K in the minors.

Despite all that, there is still a chance that Dell is claimed.  Several teams are dealing with injuries between the pipes at the moment and could view the veteran as a short-term stopgap to allow a prospect currently on recall to return to the minors.  If that doesn’t happen, Buffalo could opt to immediately send Dell down or keep him on their roster through the weekend to clear the remainder of his suspension and then send him to the taxi squad or AHL Rochester.

Jonathan Toews, Nathan MacKinnon In Concussion Protocol

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Jan 30: Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos was correct when he reported MacKinnon underwent surgery, as Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed today. MacKinnon has been ruled out for the All-Star Game, and Bednar told reporters including Baugh that Mikko Rantanen was “an easy case” as his replacement. That case may be ineffective though, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period tweets that it will be Roman Josi who replaces MacKinnon instead, giving the Central Division another defenseman.

Jan 28: Two high-profile centers are unavailable for their teams at the moment because of head injuries. Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has been ruled out for the team’s last three games before the All-Star break as he deals with a facial fracture and concussion from Taylor Hall’s hit on Wednesday night. The Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado’s opponent tonight, will be without Jonathan Toews as he is also in the concussion protocol. Toews finished his last game against the Detroit Red Wings, though Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago noticed a hit that could have caused the issue.

With MacKinnon out, the Avalanche will go with a top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and Valeri Nichushkin, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Dylan Sikura, recently recalled, will enter the lineup on the fourth line and play in his second NHL game of the season. Sikura has 31 points in 29 games for the Colorado Eagles this season.

Obviously, the loss of MacKinnon is a big one, given his place as one of the top players in the entire league. With 43 points in 31 games so far, he was named to the Central Division All-Star team, a spot that now seems up for grabs. It is unlikely that he would participate after suffering an injury like this, meaning there should be a replacement named in the coming days. Given he was the “captain” of the group, that will also have to be decided if MacKinnon is indeed held out of the event.

For Toews, this is just the latest in what has been a difficult season. Coming back from his missed 2020-21 campaign, the 33-year-old forward hasn’t exactly been himself, registering just four goals in 43 games so far. In 2019-20 he had 18 but had previously never recorded fewer than 20 in any of his first 12 NHL seasons. With just 19 points in those 43 contests, he ranks fifth on the Blackhawks in scoring, well behind Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat who have carried the load thus far. He’s also averaging fewer than 18 minutes a night for the first time in his career and will now potentially miss some time with a concussion.

Matt Roy Enters Protocol; Mikey Anderson Placed On IR

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The Los Angeles Kings have lost two defensemen for the next little while, as Matt Roy and Mikey Anderson will both miss today’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Roy has been placed in COVID protocol, while Anderson hits injured reserve after suffering an upper-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday. The team has recalled Jacob Moverare from the taxi squad in a corresponding move.

Roy, 26, has been asked to play a bigger role in Los Angeles this season, with Sean Walker missing the season and Drew Doughty out for a considerable stretch early on. The seventh-round pick is averaging more than 21 minutes a night and has spent more time short-handed than anyone else on the Kings roster. Selected 194th overall in 2015, Roy made his NHL debut during the 2018-19 season and has continued to develop into a valuable option, skating mostly with Olli Maatta or Alexander Edler.

Anderson, meanwhile, is another mid-round pick that has been developed into a full-time contributor. Selected 103rd overall in 2017, he quickly made his way to the NHL and has played in 44 games for the Kings this season. Until leaving early yesterday, he was also averaging more than 20 minutes a night on the year and trails only Roy and Anze Kopitar in terms of total short-handed ice time.

By their profiles, you can see that losing both Roy and Anderson at the same time will have some drastic effects on the Kings’ back end. While they aren’t as important as someone like Doughty, they are key parts of a group that is performing better than many expected. The depth in Los Angeles will be tested, though luckily after today they have just one more game before the All-Star break.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/30/22

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There are just a few days left before the All-Star break, but the NHL is still furiously scheduling to try and keep things on track. Despite two football matches that will likely dominate the ratings in North America, seven hockey games are on the docket. That includes a Los Angeles Kings-Pittsburgh Penguins match this afternoon, where newly-extended Jeff Carter will take on his former team once again. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

  • With Marcus Foligno unavailable for tonight’s game versus the Islanders, the Minnesota Wild recalled forward Kyle Rau from the taxi squad today. Rau will slot into the lineup as Foligno sits out with an upper-body injury.
  • Defenseman Cam Dineen is joining the big club again, heading up to the Arizona Coyotes taxi squad today from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Dineen is in the midst of his best professional season, notching four assists in his first 14 NHL games and five points in six AHL games.

Pacific Division

  • The Vancouver Canucks have returned Spencer Martin to the AHL, after he gave them some very valuable minutes. With Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak both hitting the COVID list at the same time, Martin stopped 113 of 118 shots in three appearances, continuing what has been an outstanding campaign for the 26-year-old netminder.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Hockey Canada Updates Olympic Coaching Staff

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Jan 30: Colliton will be taking over as head coach of the Canadian team, as Julien is not able to travel with the team due to an injury. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that Julien fell during a team-building activity during their training camp in Switzerland and suffered fractured ribs.

Jan 14: When the NHL pulled out of the Olympics, so too did the management and coaching staffs that were set to lead Team Canada. Doug Armstrong had been brought in to serve as general manager, while Jon Cooper was supposed to serve as head coach. Since they’ll be busy with NHL duties, Hockey Canada has picked a new pair of familiar faces to lead the program.

Shane Doan will serve as Team Canada GM for the upcoming Olympics, joined by assistant general manager Scott Salmond, a member of Hockey Canada’s executive staff. The coaching staff will officially be led by Claude Julien, along with assistants Jeremy Colliton, Nolan Baumgartner, and Tyler Dietrich. Tom Renney, Hockey Canada’s CEO, released this statement:

We are excited to announce our experienced management group and coaching staff that will lead Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team at the 2022 Olympics. With less than a month until the men’s tournament gets underway at the Olympics, we are excited to continue working with the entire staff as it prepares to represent Canada and build a roster that Canadians can support as it looks to bring home an Olympic gold medal.

Doan and Julien were easy choices after leading the Canadian contingent at the recent Channel One Cup, an event that was basically a backup plan for Olympic preparation should the NHL decide to pull out. Doan also has plenty of international experience and even participated in the 2006 Olympics with Canada. Julien was an assistant on the 2014 squad and has also been part of several other Canadian coaching staffs over the years.

In the release, Salmond says that he looks forward to “unveiling the roster in the coming weeks” but does not give a firm date for the announcement. The tournament starts for Canada on February 10, when they’re set to take on Germany.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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