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Vancouver Canucks Place Jason Dickinson Into COVID Protocol

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Late Saturday night, Vancouver Canucks forward Jason Dickinson entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, per a team tweet.

With Dickinson out, a recall from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks is likely coming. The team had no extra healthy forwards on the active roster prior to Dickinson entering protocol today.

Vancouver acquired Dickinson from Dallas this offseason and signed him to a three-year, $7.95MM extension in August. He’s really struggled to produce, however, notching only two goals and two assists in 31 games.

Despite the low production, however, he’s still been a really solid defensive presence who can play anywhere in the lineup. For that reason, he’s extremely well-liked by his coaches and the Canucks will miss him while he’s out of the lineup.

Boston Bruins Place Karson Kuhlman In COVID Protocol

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The Boston Bruins announced Saturday night that forward Karson Kuhlman entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. In a corresponding move, they recalled forward Oskar Steen from the AHL’s Providence Bruins to the taxi squad.

Kuhlman, a 26-year-old native of Esko, Minnesota, has a goal and an assist in 18 games with Boston this season, his fourth season in the NHL after graduating from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. So far, it’s his first year in the organization where he hasn’t played any games with Providence.

He’s in the final year of a two-year, $1.45MM contract and is a pending restricted free agent. Kuhlman has largely been the team’s 13th forward this year, often serving as a healthy scratch. He’s averaged 10:12 of ice time in the 18 games he’s played.

Steen comes back up the taxi squad with the chance of cracking the Bruins lineup for the fourth time this year. Through three games this season, he’s posted two assists. It adds on to what’s been a successful season for him in Providence, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists through just 16 games.

 

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Philadelphia Flyers

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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 passes the one-quarter 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 Philadelphia Flyers.

What are the Flyers thankful for?

Their new coach.

It’s hard to gauge time with all the postponements, but the Flyers have only played eight games since firing Alain Vigneault on December 6. Since then, however, the Flyers have either gotten lucky or turned a corner, going 5-2-2 under interim coach Mike Yeo so far. The two regulation losses were their first two games under Yeo, a 7-5 loss to Colorado on December 6 and a 3-0 loss to New Jersey on December 8. Since then, they’ve yet to lose in regulation and have won by multiple goals in two of their five wins.

The defensive bleeding is starting to improve, albeit slowly. Philadelphia hasn’t allowed more than three goals since that Colorado loss.

Better goaltending this season will help the Flyers in the long run, and under Yeo, it looks like the team is starting to turn a corner in front of Carter Hart and Martin Jones. If Ryan Ellis can stay healthy later in the season, he’ll be a big help as well.

Who are the Flyers thankful for?

Cam Atkinson.

Not much was made of the Atkinson-for-Jakub Voracek swap this summer. It was a trade of ageing wingers who’d underperformed in recent years, and it allowed the Flyers to gain some salary cap flexibility for future moves. That trade’s paid dividends for both teams, though, especially the Flyers. Atkinson holds the team lead with 12 goals in 31 games and has the best +/- rating on the team by far (+13).

He’s on a 32-goal pace, which would be the third-highest total of his career. COVID hit right after his career-high 41-goal campaign in 2018-19, but he’s now already hit his 12-goal mark in 2019-20 and is only three goals shy of his 2020-21 mark. The +/- mark is especially impressive for a team that’s had the defensive struggles of Philadelphia. That +13 rating is already tied for the second-best in his career. It may be a stretch to say it’s a career season for Atkinson given the 41-goal mark, but it’s certainly one of his best.

What would the Flyers be even more thankful for?

Health and more production from Sean Couturier.

Philadelphia’s defensive struggles this year were exacerbated by a somewhat unexpected lack of scoring. Couturier’s still been as trustworthy as ever defensively, but after signing an eight-year, $62MM extension this offseason, he’s got just six goals and 17 points through 29 games. It’s not awful by any stretch, but he’s been hovering around a point-per-game for the past few seasons and the dip is somewhat concerning.

It won’t be happening anytime soon, though. Couturier was injured recently and team announced he’s now out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

What should be on the Flyers’ Holiday Wish list?

A Rasmus Ristolainen deal at the trade deadline.

Philadelphia, barring a miracle, is extremely unlikely to make the playoffs. They are tied for ninth in the conference with the Bruins, but Boston has four games in hand on them. With other teams behind Philadelphia looking to make runs as well, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to pull away from the pack by the trade deadline.

The Flyers paid a pretty penny to acquire Ristolainen from Buffalo this offseason, but it just hasn’t worked out. He’s still struggled mightily in his own end, and he has just eight points in 29 games this year. The team needs cap space and assets, and shipping out Ristolainen in the last year of his deal would allow them to at least recoup some assets for the ill-advised acquisition.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brayden Schenn Likely Out For Winter Classic

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Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas, St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn seems to be unavailable for the Winter Classic tonight in Minneapolis. He didn’t take warmups.

Schenn’s been day-to-day with an upper-body injury since the middle of December, but many were hopeful he could return in time for the biggest outdoor game of the year.

His absence is compensated for by the return of other key portions of the team. Pavel Buchnevich and Ivan Barbashev are back in the lineup and will be counted on to play larger roles tonight.

Schenn’s struggled to stay healthy this year. Through just 19 games, he still has 10 points.

 

Pacific Notes: Oilers, Donato, Comtois

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The Edmonton Oilers are in a deep slide, exacerbated by a 3-2 overtime loss today to the New York Islanders. Now, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports two pieces of bad news on the injury front. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returned to Edmonton to get his undisclosed injury looked at, and Spector says to assume he’s “out a while.” Additionally, he notes that goalie Mike Smith, who just returned from injury, is now day-to-day with an upper-body injury separate from the one that just kept him out for over two months. Smith’s struggled this year, the first of a two-year extension he signed this summer, posting a .897 save percentage in five games. It’ll mean more action for the 23-year-old Stuart Skinner, who’s helped buoy the team with a .916 save percentage through 10 games. They’ll also be in tough with Nugent-Hopkins for the next little bit, who only has three goals but is still on a great pace with 26 points in 30 games.

Other rumblings from around the Pacific Division on New Years Day:

  • Seattle Kraken forward Ryan Donato will return tonight after being activated from COVID-19 protocol. Donato last played December 18 against Edmonton, and he’s been a decent contributor for the expansion Kraken with eight goals and 13 points in 27 games. He’ll likely get back in on the team’s third line, playing left wing with Alexander Wennberg and Joonas Donskoi.
  • Some good news injury-wise — Anaheim Ducks forward Max Comtois is expected to make his return to the lineup tonight against Colorado. Comtois has played just once since suffering a hand injury on November 11. It’s been a tough year for him with just one assist through 14 games, but after his 16-goal, 33-point season last year, expect some bad shooting luck to turn around for him in a short manner.

Canadiens, Senators Make COVID Protocol Additions

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3:43 pm: More bad COVID news came for the Senators, as defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker also entered protocol for them Saturday afternoon. With that, they have no extra players on the roster for tonight’s game at the moment.

10:43 am: The calendar has flipped to 2022, but the battle against Coronavirus won’t go away that easy. While the current surge may be producing far more positive results than symptomatic players, the league and its teams will continue to abide by the protocols in place, which will mean more players missing time. The first additions of the new year belong to Atlantic Division and Canadian rivals, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, both of whom are still scheduled to play on Saturday but will be short-handed.

The Senators have announced that forward Nick Paul and defenseman Dillon Heatherington have been placed in the NHL’s COVID Protocol. While Heatherington himself has been a COVID/injury replacement this year, skating in minimal minutes in nine games, Paul is a major loss for the club. The big forward is having a down year thus far compared to his past two campaigns, but still leaves a hole at center on the Sens’ second line. Ottawa has recalled Clark Bishop and Logan Shaw from the taxi squad to help fill the gap up front, while young Lassi Thomson has been promoted from AHL Belleville to add a body on the blue line.

In Montreal, the Canadiens have placed a pair of young starters in forward Jake Evans and defenseman Alexander Romanov into COVID Protocol. This makes 16 players and one coach unavailable for the Habs due to COVID, yet the team plans to proceed with their game this afternoon. Up against the salary cap, Montreal will have to stick with what they have for healthy players, which is expected to be a lineup of 11 forwards and five defensemen.

Snapshots: Paquette, Zuccarello, Canadiens Quarantine

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The Montreal Canadiens are absolutely ravaged at the moment by injuries and COVID, and bad turned to worse today when forward Cedric Paquette didn’t finish Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers due to a neck injury, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Montreal dressed just 11 forwards and five defensemen for that game, a 5-2 loss. They had just three players dressed with a cap hit greater than $1MM, with the majority of their lineup filled out by rookies and AHL call-ups. Paquette played a third-line role, centering Lukas Vejdemo and Alex Belzile. Paquette’s only played in 18 games this season, missing some time due to injury and suspension, but he only has one assist while averaging 9:11 per game. More injury news is certainly concerning for the 28-year-old Paquette, who signed a one-year deal with Montreal this offseason.

More notes from around the league on the first day of 2022:

  • With the Minnesota Wild missing captain Jared Spurgeon from tonight’s Winter Classic due to a lower-body injury, The Athletic’s Michael Russo tweets that right wing Mats Zuccarello will serve as the third alternate captain for the outdoor spectacle. Matt Dumba and Marcus Foligno are healthy and will serve as the other two alternates, as per usual. Zuccarello fought back from an early-season injury to have one of the most productive starts of his career, posting 24 points through 24 games. The Norwegian winger will likely reprise his role on the team’s top line, playing alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan Hartman.
  • The Canadiens aren’t playing again until January 12th at the earliest as their entire upcoming four-game homestand is postponed. The team won’t complain due to the aforementioned excessive amount of lineup absences, but now, head coach Dominique Ducharme says that a five-day quarantine for the entire team upon their return to Montreal is possible and will be discussed. While it won’t affect their playing schedule, it could give a chance for players to stay healthy and help their lineup get back to having experienced NHLers in the mix.

Jonas Brodin Enters COVID Protocol

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Jan 1: The Wild were hoping Brodin would be able to test out of the protocol given the league’s reduced isolation period, but Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that the veteran defenseman will miss the Winter Classic. Addison has been officially recalled and is expected to play in Brodin’s place.

Dec 28: The Minnesota Wild already ruled out Jared Spurgeon and Joel Eriksson Ek for the upcoming Winter Classic, and now appear to be losing another one of their best players. Jonas Brodin will not practice with the team today due to the league’s COVID protocol.

If Brodin is held out–a confirmed positive with symptoms would keep him out a minimum of ten days, while an asymptomatic case would need two negative tests 24 hours apart–it’s another huge loss for the Wild and the fans that will be at Target Field in just a few days. The hope at this point will be that no other key Minnesota players are pulled from the lineup between now and Saturday, as this game isn’t exactly one that can be rescheduled for later in the season.

The 28-year-old defenseman is an absolute horse for the Wild, logging huge minutes every night and playing some of the best two-way hockey in the league. While his 14 points in 28 games don’t immediately jump off the page, Brodin is the anchor that drives a Minnesota transition game that can strike extremely quickly. His smooth skating and quick defensive stick constantly disrupt plays before the opposition even gets a chance at the net, and his ability to escape forecheckers results in easy breakouts for the Wild.

Now, without Brodin or Spurgeon in the lineup, a lot of pressure will be placed on Matt Dumba and veteran Alex Goligoski for Saturday’s game. The team also may decide to recall some youngsters, giving someone like Calen Addison a chance to play on the national stage.

Florida Panthers Expected To Have Interest In Ben Chiarot

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Through the first period of today’s afternoon tilt against the Florida Panthers, the shorthanded Montreal Canadiens were able to stay even. Playing without most of their regulars the team had just five defensemen dressed, many of them without much NHL experience.

One of the veterans that they were missing is Ben Chiarot, whose name is coming up more and more often as the trade deadline approaches. Chiarot is a pending unrestricted free agent and arguably the Canadiens’ best trade chip this season, though he’s currently in the COVID protocol and unable to help the club against the Panthers.

It’s those same Panthers who could show interest in Chiarot before the deadline, according to Pierre LeBrun on the TSN broadcast:

It just so happens that the team the Habs are playing today, the Florida Panthers, I hear are pretty high on Ben Chiarot. Now they won’t be alone–most Cup contenders, and I believe Florida is a contender, are going to have Chiarot on their trade bait list. They’re going to want to at least try to acquire him. 

I think that is going to be the case. I think Florida will reach out to the Canadiens between now and March 21st and see what it takes to pry him out. They won’t be alone, there will be a half dozen contenders looking at Ben Chiarot.

Through 31 games this season, the 30-year-old Chiarot has averaged more than 23 minutes of ice time for the Canadiens. He has five goals and seven points in that time, but is much more known for his punishing, physical defense than his offensive upside. Given that contenders usually have their puck-moving options locked up already, Chiarot seems like a perfect addition for many who want to add some size, length, and experience to the blue line before the deadline.

Still, the amount of chatter that has emerged about Chiarot ever since the Canadiens struggled out of the gate is likely a bit excessive for his actual on-ice impact. This could be a perfect storm for Montreal where a lack of other options could lead to someone overpaying for the rental defenseman.

Roman Josi Activated From COVID Protocol

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The Nashville Predators have their captain back just in time. The team will take on the Chicago Blackhawks this afternoon in their first game of 2022 and Roman Josi has been activated from the COVID protocol in time to participate. Josi returns along with Colton Sissons, who has also been activated. Meanwhile, Michael McCarron has been recalled from the taxi squad and Mathieu Olivier takes his place.

Unfortunately, just a few minutes later, the team announced that Dante Fabbro has entered the protocol.

Nashville has lost the first two games following the holiday break, both played without Josi in the lineup. The 31-year-old defenseman is the most important skater on the Predators roster, playing in all situations and driving the offense almost single-handedly at times.

In 30 games, the 2020 Norris Trophy winner has ten goals and 29 points, good for the team lead (tied with Mikael Granlund). Josi averages almost 25 minutes a night, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll see that much ice time in his first game back.

Sissons too is an important player to have back in the lineup, given his role as one of the team’s regular centers. While not a huge offensive contributor, his 13 points in 29 games are still a good bit of secondary scoring.

With these two back, the Predators were almost completely out of the woods when it comes to their current COVID placements. Fabbro’s presence will obviously be missed, meaning they won’t be at full strength for a little while longer.

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