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Injury Notes: Hall, Avalanche, Rangers

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With the playoffs beginning in just a handful of weeks, it appears an important piece of the Boston Bruins lineup is gearing up for a return from injury. Winger Taylor Hall was practicing in a non-contact jersey this morning, per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

The skilled winger has been out of action since the end of February with a knee injury, and the Bruins are currently using his $6MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant down the stretch. If Hall is ready to return before the start of the playoffs, April 17, Boston would need to operate with an extremely trim roster to stay compliant before the end of the regular season. That likely won’t matter much for their success, with the President’s Trophy all but clinched.

  • While Erik Johnson had already returned to skating in a normal jersey at Colorado Avalanche practice, two other injured players joined him today — Cale Makar and Darren Helm, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Helm, who’s appeared in just five games this year as he’s been sidelined with multiple injuries, is set to rejoin the lineup tonight, says The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Makar had missed the team’s last game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
  • Ryan Lindgren and Tyler Motte both had maintenance days for the New York Rangers today, per Larry Books of The New York Post. Lindgren is fresh off returning from an 11-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and the team is likely going to ease him back into a normal game and practice routine with health for the playoffs at the top of everyone’s mind. Motte missed two games with an upper-body injury earlier in the month but has skated in seven straight contests since then, looking no worse for wear with three goals and an assist.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Carl Berglund

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The Edmonton Oilers have announced the signing of Swedish forward Carl Berglund to a two-year entry level contract. Berglund spent the year playing his senior NCAA season with UMass Lowell where he had 12 goals and 15 assists in 36 games. His two-year deal will cover the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons; however, Berglund will report to Edmonton’s AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors after signing an AHL amateur tryout agreement to cover the remainder of this season.

Should Berglund make the Oilers in either of the next two seasons he will have a cap hit of $925K, however should he play in the AHL he would make a salary of $80K. Each season will also see him collect a signing bonus of $92.5K as part of his entry level deal. Not bad for a player who went undrafted just a few years ago.

For his NCAA career Berglund has amassed 36 goals and 53 assists in 114 career games with UMass Lowell. Prior to his college career, the 23-year-old scored 16 points in 37 USHL games and won a Clark Cup with the Sioux Falls Stampede.

Berglund is a late bloomer and could be an interesting prospect for the Oilers farm system. He has good size at 6’2″ and 207 pounds, is good off the rush, and can play center as well as on the wing. It is a good signing for Edmonton as they are able to bring in a young player without having to use any draft capital.

Penguins Injury Notes: Petry, Rust, DeSmith

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Rob Rossi of The Athletic is reporting that injured Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jeff Petry is back skating. He has not practiced with the team but took to the ice after yesterdays practice in Colorado. The Penguins defense has been decimated by injuries in recent days as Petry, Jan Rutta, Dmitry Kulikov and Marcus Pettersson are all sidelined with various ailments. Things have become so dire for the Penguins that even potential call-ups Ty Smith and Xavier Ouellet are hurt as well.

The timing of these injuries could not be worse for Pittsburgh, they are in a dogfight with the Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins have been forced to dive deep into their AHL lineup to find replacements for their injured rearguards and are now using the Taylor Fedun to fill out their roster. Fedun played Monday night against the Ottawa Senators and was fine in a sheltered role, but should the Penguins defense ever get healthy he would likely be the 12th defenseman.

Petry has not had a great first season in Pittsburgh, he has been in and out of the lineup with various injuries throughout the season. When he has played, he has largely been okay, but with a cap hit of $6.25MM the Penguins can’t afford for him to be just okay. The Michigan native has 26 points in 52 games and has been a valuable part of Marcus Pettersson’s development this season, but he has had trouble at times matching the foot speed of the young forwards on some of Pittsburgh’s Eastern Conference rivals.

In other Penguins injury news:

  • Bryan Rust left yesterday’s Penguins practice in disgust after taking a Jason Zucker shot off his right hand. Rust returned a short time later and no update was provided on the incident. Pittsburgh will not practice today, which means we likely won’t have any updates until their game this evening with the Colorado Avalanche. Rob Rossi did tweet that Rust’s return to the ice for practice appeared to be a good sign. It has been a difficult season for the 30-year-old forward, he has 38 points in 69 games which is well off his near point a game pace from the three previous seasons. He has appeared visibly frustrated in recent weeks, the most obvious instance being in Monday’s game against Ottawa when his failure to clear the zone on a Senators powerplay led to the game winning goal.
  • Rob Rossi of The Athletic is also reporting that Casey DeSmith did not participate in Penguins practice yesterday. While he was not injured, he was apparently forced back to the team’s hotel with an illness. Not much else is known, but it could create another interesting development for the Penguins as they have a back-to-back tonight in Colorado and then in Dallas tomorrow against the Stars. DeSmith stood on his head earlier this season with a 41 save win against the Avalanche and would have presumably started tonight or tomorrow’s game. Should he remain sick it could force the Penguins to use Jarry in both games, which is something they may be hesitant to do given Jarry’s play lately. The Surrey native has struggled in recent weeks having been pulled in four of his previous 11 starts, this has cratered his save percentage which now sits at just .907 for the season. Not ideal for a goaltender who is just over three months away from unrestricted free agency.

Morning Notes: NHLPA Poll, Quick, Canadiens

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The NHLPA Player Poll has become a yearly fixture, giving fans an insight into what players have to say in popular public debates. This year’s edition dropped this morning with mostly expected results.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was voted by a wide margin as the goalie players would want in net with one game on the line for the second straight season, while the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar was voted best defenseman in the league by a landslide. Connor McDavid won “most impactful forward in a must-win game,” no doubt buoyed by last year’s electric playoff performance. Other winners were Patrick Kane for best stick-handler, Leon Draisaitl for best passer, Sidney Crosby for most complete player, Brad Marchand for least enjoy playing against (but want on your team), Joe Pavelski for most effective net-front player, and Aleksander Barkov for most underrated. Marie-Philip Poulin was also voted as the women’s hockey player that NHL players would most like to play alongside, past or present, and the Bell Centre was voted as having the best ice in the NHL for the fifth time.

In off-ice results, Las Vegas was voted the best road city to have an off day, Marc-Andre Fleury was voted best locker room presence, and Auston Matthews was voted as having the best shoe game.

More notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Now a Vegas Golden Knight, Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jonathan Quick continues to move up the all-time ranks. With last night’s road win against the Vancouver Canucks, Quick moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list for American-born goaltenders, trailing only Ryan Miller. Quick now sits just 16 wins back of tying the all-time record with 375 wins under his belt.
  • In some rare positive injury news for the Montreal Canadiens this season, Jake Evans has returned to practice in a full-contact jersey, while Jesse Ylonen has returned to practice after missing the team’s last game with an illness, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Ylonen hasn’t looked out of place in his first extended NHL look this season, recording five goals and 12 points in 29 games. Evans is nearing a return after missing over two months with a lower-body injury.

Los Angeles Kings Acquire Rights To Cole Krygier, Sign To AHL Tryout

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Mar 21: The Ontario Reign announced the signing of Cole Krygier to an amateur tryout. This will allow him to join the AHL roster for the remainder of the season, but he is still slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Kings hold his NHL rights until August 15, and Krygier will become a UFA at that point if he is not signed for the 2023-24 season.

Mar 20: The Los Angeles Kings have made a minor move ahead of college signing season, acquiring the rights to defenseman Cole Krygier from the Florida Panthers in exchange for future considerations, per a team release.

Krygier, 22, was initially drafted by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He has since played five seasons with Michigan State University, establishing himself as a hardworking, physical defender with a late-blooming goal-scoring touch.

Krygier wore an “A” on his sweater for his final season at Michigan State, leading the team’s defensemen in goals with 10. Across five seasons at Michigan State, Krygier has totaled 20 goals, 21 assists, and 193 penalty minutes in 160 games.

The trade likely occurred either because the Panthers had no interest in signing Krygier to an entry-level contract or Krygier had informed the Panthers he would not sign with them. Either way, it seems the Kings are interested in adding the 6’3″ left-shot defender to their organizational pool of prospects.

Krygier is the son of former Hartford Whalers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Washington Capitals winger Todd Krygier. His brother Christian Krygier was also selected in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders.

Kraken Forward John Hayden Out 12 Weeks

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The Seattle Kraken have announced forward John Hayden will be sidelined for 12 weeks. Hayden was injured in the Kraken’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night, following a fight with Klim Kostin. Hayden underwent surgery on Monday for a lower-body injury and will miss the remainder of the season, but should be back training around the time the Stanley Cup in handed out in June.

The 28-year-old center has split this season with the Kraken and their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He has played just seven NHL games this season, scoring two goals for the Kraken. It is his first season in Seattle after stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres in his seven year pro career.

Hayden was producing offence in his AHL tenure. He scored 17 goals and 33 points in 47 games with the Firebirds, helping them achieve the best record in the AHL by points percentage. He was just called up again on March 15 and was playing his second game with the Kraken since being recalled when he was injured.

The Kraken are sitting in the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference. They have a bit of breathing room as they are six points up on the Calgary Flames who are the top team sitting outside the current playoff picture. In just their second year of existence, the Kraken have a great chance to make the postseason, but will have to reach down to Coachella Valley for another depth piece with Hayden out so long.

Injury Notes: Hronek, Spurgeon, Kassian

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The Vancouver Canucks are hoping to have one of their top blue liners back soon. Farhan Lalji of TSN reports that head coach Rick Tocchet said Filip Hronek is day-to-day and there is a good chance he will be able to play on Thursday. Hronek was acquired by the Canucks in a somewhat surprising trade deadline deal. The Canucks were not expected to be buyers, but offered up a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for Hronek.

The 25-year-old right defenseman is yet to make his Canucks debut as he has been out of the lineup since February 28 with an upper-body injury. It sounds like he is close to getting back on the ice, and the Cancucks may see him join them for the first time when they take on the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon was a late scratch for tonight’s game. The team announced he will be out of the lineup with a non-covid illness. Spurgeon has scored ten goals and 30 points in 70 games for the Wild who are in a tight battle with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars for positioning in the Central Division. While they will miss his presence against the New Jersey Devils, luckily it does not sound like a long-term absence.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced Zack Kassian would not suit up tonight. The rugged winger is sidelined with an upper-body injury and will miss tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. The 32 year old has played 51 games for the Coyotes this season, scoring just two goals and zero assists. Kassian has one more year on his contract following this season with a $3.2MM cap hit.

East Notes: Mandolese, Bennett, Penguins

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The Ottawa Senators announced the team has to shuffle their goaltending tandem yet again. The team has recalled Kevin Mandolese from the Belleville Senators because Dylan Ferguson is out with an illness. Ferguson was just called up two days ago and made his Senators debut last night. He was brilliant, stopping 48 of 49 shots and leading the Senators to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. With Cam Talbot out with an upper-body injury and Anton Forsberg on injured reserve, this leaves the Senators pretty thin in an important area.

Mandolese has played three NHL games so far this season, including a 46-save effort in a win over the New York Islanders on February 14. The 22 year old has played 15 AHL games in Belleville this season with a 3.32 GAA and a .889 SV%. It sounds like he will back up Mads Sogard when the Senators take on the Boston Bruins tonight.

  • According to a team statement, the Florida Panthers will be without a key forward this evening. Sam Bennett left last night’s win over the Detroit Red Wings early, and will not dress tonight when the Panthers face the Philadelphia Flyers. The 26-year old center is ruled out with a lower-body injury, and is officially listed as day-to-day. Bennett has scored 16 goals and 40 points in 63 games for the Panthers who are trying to chase down the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The team also mentioned Givani Smith has been activated from injured reserve and will return to the lineup.
  • The Wilkes-Barre Penguins announced the signing of Jagger Joshua. The contract is a two-year agreement but will not begin until next season, so Joshua is signed through the 2024-25 campaign with the Penguins. He will report to the team immediately, but finish off this season on an amateur tryout before his new contract officially begins. Joshua played for Michigan State University this season, scoring 13 goals and 24 points in 37 games.

Avalanche Sign Jared Bednar To Contract Extension

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The Colorado Avalanche (Twitter link) have signed head coach Jared Bednar to a three-year contract extension. Bednar is in his seventh season as the team’s bench boss, and helped get them to a Stanley Cup championship last season. He has helped players like Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen grow from skilled youngsters to superstar talents in that time.

Chris Johnston of TSN added that the contract will keep him with the team through the 2026-27 season, meaning he was already signed through next season.

Financial terms of coaching contracts are rarely given in detail, but TSN’s Darren Dreger reports Bednar will earn just shy of $5MM during the three-year contract extension.

Bednar has helped guide the team from the literal bottom to the top of the NHL world. His arrival with the Avalanche was just before the 2016-17 season began as previous head coach Patrick Roy gave up his position on the eve of training camp. The Avalanche had an abysmal 22-56-4 record in Bednar’s first season, but stuck by him and the team has not missed the postseason since.

After a few promising seasons ended in playoff heartbreak, the Avalanche finally won a championship last season following an incredible regular season that saw them go 56-19-7.

Bednar has done impressive work once again this season. The Avalanche nursed a bit of a Stanley Cup hangover early in the season but despite long-term injuries to key players like Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Bowen Byram and Josh Manson, they are just one point back of the Central Division lead.

After his tough first season in Colorado, the Avalanche have been one of the best teams in the league for the past six years. With Bednar behind the bench, they promise to be among the NHL’s elite for the next four seasons.

Predators Send Michael McCarron, Kevin Gravel To AHL

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As Ryan McDonagh re-enters the lineup in tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators general manager David Poile announces that the team has sent defenseman Kevin Gravel and forward Michael McCarron to their AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals.

Filling into the lineup for the injury to McDonagh, Gravel managed to play in four games for the Predators, averaging about 14 minutes of action a night. Over the entire year, that makes 18 games played for Gravel, only mustering one point this season. Playing in the minor leagues for most of the year, Gravel has put up two goals and 11 assists in Milwaukee. The transaction made by the Predators today marks the fifth time this year that Gravel has been sent down to the minors, clearing waivers twice.

Much like Gravel, McCarron has been caught in a call-up carousel of late. Having returned to hockey from a stay in the NHLPA player assistance program, this will mark his second demotion in one week. Although a valuable depth option for Nashville last season, McCarron’s production in the NHL has undoubtedly dipped this season. Playing in a total of 22 games for the Predators, McCaron has one goal and one assist. He’s fared a bit better in Milwaukee, scoring six points in 13 games, a 38-point pace over an entire season.

 

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