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Archives for April 2023

Injury Notes: Capitals, Blues, Tanev, Teravainen

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While the Washington Capitals are near the conclusion of a rare season that finds them outside the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture, the circumstances surrounding their franchise’s greatest player add more meaning to the remaining games on their schedule than those contests might have for other teams. Alex Ovechkin remains locked into his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time scoring record, and until the day he passes The Great One, each Capitals game holds importance.

As a result, any injuries Capitals players suffer at this stage of the season are more meaningful than they might be for another franchise closing out a lost season. So, today’s reporting via the Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs that Capitals veterans T.J. Oshie and Trevor van Riemsdyk will not travel with the team and are each nursing upper-body injuries is notable. While the 36-year-old Oshie may not be the caliber of player he once was, he’s still a reliable contributor to the Capitals’ forward corps and his absence could make life for Ovechkin more difficult. Same for the loss of van Riemsdyk, who as a former undrafted player has carved himself a nice career as a penalty kill specialist at the age of 31.

Some other injury notes from across the NHL:

  • NHL.com’s Lou Korac relays updates from St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube on two of the team’s most important players. Per Berube, top center Robert Thomas is a game-time decision tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Blues’ leading scorer on a point-per-game basis, Pavel Buchnevich, remains out. Both Thomas and Buchnevich have not played since the Blues’ March 28th overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks, and in their absence St. Louis has lost two of three games, with their sole victory coming over the last-place Chicago Blackhawks.
  • Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter told the media today, including TSN Sports’ Salim Nadim Valji, that veteran defensive defenseman Chris Tanev is a game-time decision tonight against the Blackhawks. Tanev hasn’t played since March 20th, when the Flames suffered a miserable 8-2 loss in Los Angeles. With the Flames on a four-game winning streak and mounting a serious challenge to the Winnipeg Jets, getting Tanev back into the lineup would give his team a major boost. Tanev is the Flames’ leading penalty-killer by a wide margin and the experience, defensive prowess, and 20 rock-solid minutes a night he brings to the table could be just what the Calgary needs to push themselves past the Jets for the final Wild Card spot.
  • Carolina Hurricanes star forward Teuvo Teravainen remains out of the lineup for tonight’s matchup against the Ottawa Senators, marking the fourth straight game he has missed. The 28-year-old Finn has undoubtedly had a down season by his standards (just 12 goals and 36 points in 63 games played) but with both Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov out for the season, he’ll need to get back to full health and shoulder a greater offensive workload in order for the Hurricanes to stand the best chance of making a deep playoff run.

Marco Scandella Out For Season

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Jim Thomas of the Post Dispatch reports today that St.Louis Blues defenseman Marco Scandella was seen in a walking boot on Sunday, and head coach Craig Berube confirms that he will be out for the rest of the season. The Blues currently have five games remaining in their season and are eliminated from playoff contention.

In a season to forget for Scandella, and largely the Blues as well, the St.Louis defenseman will only manage to play in 20 games this year, scoring two points in the process. At the beginning of the season, it was announced that Scandella would be out for six months with a hip injury. On February 20th, he was cleared to play but was once again injured with a lower-body injury in the team’s loss against the Nashville Predators.

Acquired during the season after their 2019 Stanley Cup-winning year, Scandella spent that year split between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens as well. He was originally acquired by the Sabres during the summer before the 2017-18 season, as he was sent to Buffalo along with Jason Pominville from the Minnesota Wild for Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno.

Spending a few more seasons in Buffalo, he was shipped to Montreal for a draft pick shortly before the 2020 trade deadline. As the deadline rolled around, Scandella was finally acquired by the Blues for a few draft picks. Although this season hasn’t gone as planned, Scandella has played in a total of 150 games wearing the blue note, scoring seven goals and 19 assists with a very respectable +37 +/-.

Ducks Reassign Andrej Sustr

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The Anaheim Ducks today announced that defenseman Andrej Sustr has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls. Sustr recently rejoined the Ducks, being one of the assets traded that landed John Klingberg on the Minnesota Wild.

Primarily playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning throughout his career, Sustr has played in a total of 362 games in the NHL, scoring 11 goals and 58 assists. After his first season in Anaheim during the 2018-19 season, Sustr went overseas, playing two years for the Kunlun Red Star of the KHL. Rejoining the Lightning for the 2021-22 season, Sustr would then return to the Ducks after being claimed off waivers.

Although signed by the Minnesota Wild before this year, Sustr only spent this season playing for their AHL affiliate Iowa Wild before his midseason trade back to Anaheim. In 39 games in Iowa, Sustr scored two goals and also racked up 10 assists. Similarly to his time in Minnesota, Sustr has only played in San Diego since being reacquired by the Ducks organization. In seven games so far for the Gulls, he has scored one goal and one assist.

Sadly, Sustr will not be playing any games into late April, as the Gulls are well outside the playoff picture as they have a current record of 20-44-2. The same holds if he were to receive playing time in the NHL this year, as the Ducks have a record of 23-44-10, and have been mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture for some time.

 

Zach Parise Plans To Continue Playing After This Season

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Longtime NHL veteran Zach Parise of the New York Islanders spoke with Kevin Kurz of The Athletic this morning and reiterates that he hopes to continue playing after this season. Parise is an 18-year NHL veteran and will turn 39 this summer when he will be an unrestricted free agent.

The Minneapolis, MN native was drafted 17th overall in the historic 2003 NHL draft class. Heading into the draft, Parise was ranked the ninth overall North American prospect, coming off of a tremendous 61-point season for the University of North Dakota. It didn’t take long for Parise to find his way to the NHL, joining the New Jersey Devils during the 2005-06 season.

In October of 2011, Parise was named the ninth captain in Devil’s history, replacing long-time captain Jamie Langenbrunner as the team leader. In 502 total games in New Jersey, Parise scored a total of 194 goals and 216 assists, helping lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.

After his tremendous play in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Parise joined Ryan Suter as the top free agent heading in the 2012-13 season. On July 4th, 2012, Parise and Suter signed identical 13-year, $98 million contracts with his hometown Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately, Parise and Suter would only play nine years of that contract, as both were bought out before the 2021-22 season. Playing in 558 games with the Wild, Parise scored 199 goals and 201 assists, failing to help Minnesota reach further than the second round of the playoffs.

After being bought out by the Wild, Parise joined his former GM Lou Lamoriello, signing on with the Islanders on a 1-year, $750K deal. In his first year with the Islanders, Parise scored 35 points in 82 games and has followed that up with similar production this year, scoring 32 points in 78 games.

Although Parise is in a race against father time, the forward is earnest on playing during the 2023-24 season. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, but it will be hard to imagine Parise leaving the Islanders. Parise has notably followed the footsteps of his late father J.P. Parise, who played for the historic Minnesota North Stars as well as the Islanders.

Columbus Signs Yegor Chinakhov To Extension

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that they have signed forward Yegor Chinakhov to a one-year, $800K extension for the 2023-24 season. In doing so, their former first-round pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has at least one more guaranteed season in Ohio.

A rookie last season, Chinakhov has played a total of 92 games for the Blue Jackets, scoring 11 goals and 16 assists. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets and Chinakhov, the young forward was placed on injured reserve on December 20th of 2022, only to be taken off on February 27th of this year. Losing a couple of months at the beginning of his career will not be detrimental to his growth, but may be a cause for concern going forward for Columbus.

Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen touted the Columbus forward, saying, “Yegor has shown great improvement this season despite missing considerable time over the past few months due to injury. He is a talented player with a great work ethic and desire to improve, and we are very excited about his future with the Blue Jackets.”

Since his reinstatement from the injured reserve earlier this calendar year, Chinakhov has been playing for the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate Cleveland Monsters. In seven games so far this season, Chinakhov has put up three goals and five assists. Unfortunately, Chinakhov will not be able to see playoff time this season, as both Columbus and Cleveland will not make the postseason this year.

David Carle Named Head Coach of U.S. National Junior Team

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In some exciting news for next season in the international scene, USA Hockey announces that David Carle will lead the 2024 U.S. National Junior Team from the bench. Carle, who is still only 33 years old, has been at the helm of the Denver University Pioneers for the last five years.

In every season since taking over as head coach, Carle has led the Pioneers to the Frozen Four Tournament every year, winning the title over Minnesota State during the 2021-22 season. Throughout his head coaching career, he has accrued an overall record of 116-53-13, giving him a career-winning percentage of .637.

For the United States National Junior team in particular, since the 2015 tournament, the team has earned two gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals. Typically engaging in legendary battles with Canada’s National Junior team, if Carle’s college pedigree is any predictor, the United States might be an even tougher challenge to the back-to-back defending champions.

The tournament will start later this year, starting on December 26th and ending on January 5th of 2024. The tournament will be played in Sweden, and the United States will be in Group B, including Czechia, Norway, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

Maple Leafs Notes: Murray, Acciari, Cruikshank, Skirving

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In a recent article written by Luke Fox of Sportsnet, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have some more bad news with goaltender Matt Murray. After getting what appeared to be accidentally knocked down by Detroit Red Wings’ forward Lucas Raymond on Sunday night, head coach Sheldon Keefe relays on that Murray is now dealing with a head injury.

Murray has been injured several times this year, being placed on long-term injured reserve on both October 18th and February 15th of this season. When he is healthy, Murray has been an average goaltender at best for Toronto. In 26 starts this season, the goaltender has a record of 14-8-2 with a SV% of .903 and a GAA of 3.01. In some of the underlying numbers, Murray currently has a GA%- of 101, with a Goals Saved Above Average of -1.0.

Throughout his time with the Ottawa Senators, and even multiple times when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Murray has been a very injury-prone player throughout his career. Keefe mentioned that Murray would be considered day-to-day for now, and did not specify a timeline or if Murray would enter concussion protocol.

Fortunately for the Maple Leafs, their other goaltender acquisition from this past summer is enjoying the best season of his career. In 37 stars, Ilya Samsonov has a record of 25-10-4 with a .915 SV% and a 2.41 GAA. Even before the recent injury to Murray, Samsonov was going to be the clear-cut starter for Toronto in their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the hockey world did see last year that having a capable backup going into the playoffs is vitally important, evidenced by the superb play of backup Pavel Francouz for the Colorado Avalanche.

Other Maple Leafs notes:

  • In some positive injury news for the Maple Leafs, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports that forward Noel Acciari will be back in the lineup tonight as Toronto takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Acquired in the trade with the St.Louis Blues that also netted Toronto forward Ryan O’Reilly, Acciari has spent most of his time in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. In 17 games with Toronto, Acciari has added a valuable bit of depth goal-scoring, lighting the lamp three times for Toronto.
  • Traveling southwest of the Maple Leafs, their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies announced two signings today, picking up forward Grant Cruikshank from St.Cloud State University, as well as signing forward Todd Skirving from the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL. In 41 games for St.Cloud State, Cruikshank scored a solid 23 goals and 15 assists, being one of the better goal-scorers in the NCAA. Similarly, Skirving has also been a solid scorer in the ECHL this season, scoring 30 goals and 27 assists in 66 games.

Minnesota Wild Will Sign Mason Shaw This Summer

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Joe Smith of The Athletic is reporting that the Minnesota Wild intend to sign pending restricted free agent Mason Shaw to an extension this summer, despite his recent ACL tear. Shaw is expected to be out for eight to nine months after he was injured this past Saturday in a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

For Shaw, this is the fourth time he’s torn an ACL in his young career. He’s had surgery three times already and will now need to go through it a fourth time. Smith reported that the feeling in the Wild dressing room was somber, with Shaw’s injury hitting his teammates hard.

By all accounts, Shaw is very popular within the Wild dressing room and has worked hard to get into the teams bottom six. Wild GM Bill Guerin said of Shaw’s contract, ““That won’t be something he’s going to have to worry about. We’ll figure something out. You don’t want to let go of guys like that.”

Minnesota is going to be in a tight cap crunch once again this summer with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts accounting for nearly $15MM in cap space next year. While Shaw may not return in the 2023 calendar year, he should return in early 2024 barring any setbacks. Shaw’s qualifying offer this summer will be just $787.5K, meaning that even with a modest raise Minnesota shouldn’t have any issue offering him a contract, despite their precarious cap situation.

Penguins Notes: Blomqvist, Krannila, Ortiz, DiLiberatore

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced that they’ve signed goaltender Joel Blomqvist to an amateur tryout agreement. For Blomqvist, this is his second stint playing for the baby Penguins under an ATO as he played one game last season with the club.

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected the Finnish netminder in the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft and he is one of their top prospects. The 21-year-old has yet to sign an NHL contract with the Penguins, but they do retain his rights for another two years.

Blomqvist was hoping to take the next step this season back in Finland with Karpat of the Liiga, but two concussions limited his playing time to just 21 games. Despite the setback he did post a .907 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average.

In other Penguins news:

  • Wilkes-Barre/Scranton also signed undrafted Finnish forward Jami Krannila to an ATO.  The St. Cloud State product had 21 goals and 19 assists this season in 41 NCAA games and has 107 points in his college career in 143 games. The undersized winger will be a long shot to make it to the NHL as he stands just 5’10” and is listed at 163 pounds, but with teams putting a premium on speed and skill he could get a look with the Penguins. Their prospect cupboard is bare, meaning Krannila should get plenty of ice time in the AHL.
  • With these two signings Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made a series of corresponding moves by sending defensemen Peter DiLiberatore and Chris Ortiz to Wheeling of the ECHL. DiLiberatore was acquired by the Penguins organization in the Teddy Blueger trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Quinnipiac University product dressed in eight games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scored two goals. Ortiz on the other hand has dressed in 39 contests with the Wheeling Nailers and has four goals and 24 assists for 28 points. He has also played 15 AHL games, producing just three assists.

Ottawa Senators Recall Egor Sokolov

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It’s been an impressive season for Ottawa Senators prospect Egor Sokolov, and he’s about to get a nice reward. The young forward has been recalled to the NHL for the first time this season.

Sokolov, 22, has scored 55 points in 67 games for the Belleville Senators, setting a new career mark at the professional level. The 2020 second-round pick may not be the fleetest of the foot, but he has continued to perform well at the minor league level, scoring in bunches and operating as a key member of the Belleville attack.

After receiving eight games of NHL action last year, Sokolov is still looking for his first point with Ottawa. Whether he gets a chance down the stretch this year isn’t clear, though if not, his recall is somewhat surprising.

Belleville is still within striking distance of a playoff spot, sitting three points behind the Laval Rocket with five games to play. They’ll be playing the Cleveland Monsters in a must-win matchup tomorrow night, before a rematch on Saturday. Given Ottawa is in Carolina tonight and heads to Florida for a game on Thursday, it would seem unlikely that Sokolov is being removed from the Belleville group just to sit in the press box.

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