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West Notes: Gavrikov, Chrona, Girard

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The Los Angeles Kings have announced that defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov has been activated off of injured reserve. In addition, defenseman Jacob Moverare has been recalled from the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Gavrikov has not played since December 10th, and had been dealing with a lower-body injury.

Gavrikov has played a top-four role in Los Angeles, averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time per night with a regular penalty-killing role. He’s provided the Kings with decent value on the $5.875MM investment they made in him, and if he keeps it up he’ll be in a strong position to hit free agency at the end of 2024-25. Moverare, 25, has skated in 16 games at the AHL level so far this season and five in the NHL.

Some other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled netminder Magnus Chrona from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The move was made to give the Sharks an additional goaltender to cover for the fact that regular tandem netminder MacKenzie Blackwood is not feeling well. In a corresponding move, defenseman Jacob MacDonald was placed on injured reserve, which clears the roster spot to be used on Chrona. Chrona, a former NCAA National Champion at the University of Denver, has a .900 save percentage in 11 games in what has been his rookie pro campaign.
  • Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told the media today (including Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano) that defenseman Samuel Girard will not play tonight, but also “hinted” that there is a chance he plays Friday against the St. Louis Blues. Girard returned to skating on December 21st, and is working his way back to game readiness after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

Nikolai Khabibulin Signs In KHL

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3:45 PM: An official release from Torpedo shed some light on the reasoning behind the decision to sign Khabibulin. In a (translated) statement, Larionov did appear to mention the idea that this signing would help Torpedo from a financial and popularity perspective, specifically pointing to Spartak Moscow’s recent signing of Ilya Kovalchuk.

But in addition to that side of the equation, Torpedo does claim to have legitimate sporting reasons to sign the soon-to-be-51-year-old veteran. With former San Jose Sharks goalie Alexei Melnichuk now off to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the team has a legitimate need for a third goalie. So they’ve signed Khabibulin to fill that role.

2:10 PM: In an extremely surprising move, four-time NHL All-Star and 2004 Stanley Cup champion Nikolai Khabibulin, 50, has decided to resume his playing career and sign a one-year contract with the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

It’s been an active day for Torpedo, who already boasts two quality NHL prospects in Bogdan Konyushkov (MTL) and Anton Silayev (potential 2024 top-10 pick), alongside a former AHLer in Madison Bowey. Khabibulin was serving on head coach Igor Larionov’s staff as the goalie coach, but now he has elected to throw his hat in the ring as a player.

Torpedo doesn’t appear to have an immediate need for goaltending, as starter Adam Húska and backup Ivan Kulbakov each have strong numbers this season. Neither goalie appears to have suffered an injury that would necessitate such a move, either. It’s possible this signing was made with economic considerations since Khabibulin is a popular former star NHLer.

Khabibulin won Olympic gold in 1992 with the unified team of former Soviet republics and was named the best goaltender at the 2002 Olympics, helping Russia win the bronze medal along the way.

The veteran of nearly 800 NHL games remains a popular star player and could generate Torpedo a significant amount of attention should he end up playing games as part of this contract.

Snapshots: Hartman, Athanasiou, Sawchyn

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Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman is set to return to game action for the team for the first time in more than a week, according to Minnesota Wild Radio Network’s Kevin Falness. Hartman has been out since the team’s December 19th win over the Boston Bruins, a game in which he scored a goal.

At times the Wild’s first-line center, Hartman has been supplanted as a top-six pivot by the emergence of Marco Rossi. But he’s still putting together a decent campaign, on pace to score 26 goals and 43 points. Back in the lineup, Hartman will give the Wild a nice boost just as they are looking to gain ground in the Central Division race.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou has hit a bit of a setback in his recovery from a groin injury, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. Roumeliotis relays word from head coach Luke Richardson who said that Athanasiou’s gym workouts have been shut down, though he plans to start them back up again now that he’s received clarity on the nature of his injury after visiting another doctor. While there still isn’t a firm timeline as to when the Blackhawks can expect to see the former 30-goal scorer back on the ice, it does seem as though that is still a ways away.
  • Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn was traded in the WHL today, dealt to the Edmonton Oil Kings in a deal that included seven draft picks headed the other way. Although the Oil Kings have struggled this season they’re likely to improve greatly with the addition of Sawchyn, who the Panthers drafted 63rd overall at the 2023 draft. Sawchyn’s NHL future is a topic of debate and division amongst third-party publications, as he was ranked as high as 13th overall in the class (by Elite Prospects) and as low as 49th (TSN’s Bob McKenzie).

Canadiens Notes: Savard, Lindström, Monahan

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On an extraordinarily young Montreal Canadiens blueline, veteran David Savard has played a crucial role. The defensive stability he provides on the ice has paved the way for Mike Matheson to play the best hockey of his career, and his 21:26 time-on-ice (including a team-leading 3:40 per game short-handed) has helped the Canadiens achieve a better-than-expected start. But despite how much value he is delivering to Montreal, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels writes in his most recent mailbag that the Canadiens are “going to have to seriously consider moving” Savard “in short order.”

The rationale behind trading Savard is twofold: first and foremost, he could very well return a premium draft pick or prospect due to his quality play, the fact that he’s a Stanley Cup-winning right-shot defenseman, and the fact that he’s affordable for the rest of this season and under team control for $3.5MM for 2024-25. Additionally, the emergence of Jayden Struble combined with the need to re-integrate Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj into the NHL lineup means trading Savard would clear room needed by those players. And it would also be useful with an eye to the team signing top prospect Lane Hutson after his NCAA season concludes. So while Savard is an extremely important defenseman for the Canadiens now, it appears his days in Montreal could be numbered.

Some other notes regarding the 24-time Stanley Cup Champions:

  • Since the Canadiens’ upcoming defensive logjam could very well cause David Savard to be traded, it also indicates that Gustav Lindström is unlikely to maintain his spot on the NHL roster with the Canadiens for much longer. According to Engels, the Canadiens are likely to waive or trade Lindström whenever Harris returns. The 25-year-old was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings this offseason and has scored four points in 14 games, averaging 15:16 time-on-ice per game. He has played four games for the AHL’s Laval Rocket this season and could soon become available to the rest of the NHL once again.
  • Up front, the number-one Canadiens trade candidate is center Sean Monahan. It must be said that a significant factor impacting Monahan’s trade future is his health, as the seven-time 20-plus goal scorer has suffered significant injuries in recent years. According to Engels, the Canadiens have not yet “concretely discussed an extension” with Monahan, and he could be one of the top forwards available on the market come trade deadline season.

Injury Updates: Jones, Lazar, Kuraly

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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has not dressed for a game in 17 days due to a shoulder injury, but according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis, he could be getting closer to a return. He’s set to begin skating after the team’s five-game road trip concludes, and could see a return to game action relatively quickly after that point.

Jones is the Blackhawks’ most important defenseman and arguably the team’s most important player outside of rookie phenom Connor Bedard. Although he only has 11 points in 27 games this season, he’s averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per night and anchors both the team’s power play and penalty kill. Getting him back in the lineup would do wonders for the Blackhawks’ ability to remain competitive on a nightly basis.

Some more injury updates from across the NHL:

  • New Jersey Devils forward Curtis Lazar is “a bit banged up” according to team reporter Amanda Stein, and head coach Lindy Ruff says he’s out day-to-day. A hard-working bottom-six winger for New Jersey, Lazar has scored 10 points in 30 games this season and plays a secondary role on the team’s penalty kill. With Lazar out the Devils appear to be slated to run seven defensemen, although the team could also opt to have veteran Chris Tierney fill Lazar’s role while Lazar is out.
  • After a scary-looking abdominal injury, it appears veteran forward Sean Kuraly has avoided a significant absence. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that Kuraly would miss tonight’s game against the Devils, but that his status is considered day-to-day. That’s encouraging news for the penalty-killing specialist, as at first glance it seemed unlikely he would miss such a brief amount of time.

Atlantic Notes: Giordano, Girgensons, Gadjovich

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Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano will not return to action in Wednesday’s game against the Senators, per The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel. Giordano, who has been out with a finger fracture for nearly a month, practiced with the team this morning and is close to a return but is not cleared to suit up tonight.

The NHL’s oldest active skater remains on long-term injured reserve and will miss his 12th straight game. He is eligible to return at any time, satisfying the ten games and 28 days missed requirement for an LTIR placement. The Maple Leafs will not need to make a corresponding transaction to activate him with enough LTIR relief from John Klingberg’s, Matt Murray’s and Jake Muzzin’s contracts to accommodate his $800K cap hit.

Even when he’s cleared to play, the 40-year-old’s role in the lineup is cloudier than when he left it. No one is budging out of the Maple Leafs’ top four, which consists of T.J. Brodie, Timothy Liljegren, Jake McCabe, and Morgan Rielly, and their third pairing of AHL call-ups Simon Benoit and William Lagesson has been one of the best shutdown pairings in the league in limited minutes. Among pairings with at least 70 minutes together, only the Kraken’s Brian Dumoulin and Ryker Evans have allowed fewer expected goals against per 60 minutes, per MoneyPuck.

In 20 games this season, Giordano has one goal, four assists, five points, and a -1 rating while averaging 17:52 per game. His even-strength Corsi share of 50.5% is his worst since the 2015-16 season.

Other items of interest from the Atlantic Division today:

  • Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons is close to a return but won’t suit up Wednesday against the Bruins, head coach Don Granato said (via WGR Sports Radio 550’s Paul Hamilton). The 6-foot-2 Latvian will miss his 16th game with a lower-body injury sustained November 24 against the Penguins. His pending IR activation is creating some uncertainty for the Sabres, who will need to demote or trade a player to create space on the roster. Before getting injured, the longest-tenured Sabre had two goals in 20 games while playing a fourth-line role.
  • Also remaining out of the lineup tonight is Panthers enforcer Jonah Gadjovich, via Florida Hockey Now’s Colby Guy. It’s unclear whether he’s a healthy scratch or if he’s still battling the illness that kept him out of the lineup for four games before the holiday break. The 25-year-old has one assist and 43 penalty minutes in nine contests this season, averaging only 6:42 per game.

Predators Recall Yaroslav Askarov

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Predators top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov was recalled from AHL Milwaukee on Wednesday, a team release states. NHL.com’s Robby Stanley initially reported Askarov was with the team at this morning’s skate. With backup Kevin Lankinen listed as day-to-day with an illness, Askarov will likely back up starter Juuse Saros tonight against the Hurricanes.

The 21-year-old Askarov has a .908 SV%, an 8-6-1 record and a 2.45 GAA in 15 games with Milwaukee in 2023-24. Nashville’s 2020 first-round pick has won four out of his last five games, and his numbers this season reflect those of a slightly above-average AHL starter. Among 50 AHL goalies with at least ten appearances this season, Askarov ranks 19th in SV% and 11th in GAA.

Askarov likely isn’t ready for full-time NHL duties yet, but his time should come shortly. Lankinen will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, and it seems likely the Predators will leave an opening for Askarov to grab the backup job behind Saros in 2024-25. In doing so, they’ll get solid value from the last season of Askarov’s entry-level contract, which carries a $925K cap hit.

The 6-foot-3 netminder has one NHL start to his name, coming early in 2023 on January 12 against the Canadiens. He made 31 saves on 35 shots in a 4-3 loss.

At the time of his draft, Askarov was considered one of the best goalie prospects in over a decade. While that billing hasn’t necessarily held up, he remains a top-five netminding prospect in the league. Assuming they hold onto him, he is on track to take over from Saros as Nashville’s starter eventually.

Minor Transactions: 12/27/23

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After taking the past three days off with a 14-game schedule, the NHL gets back to action today. As such, many teams are adding to their roster today, undoing transactions made before their off days for the Christmas holiday.

  • One of those teams is the Blues, who recalled winger Mackenzie MacEachern from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds this morning. After spending last season with the Hurricanes, playing in eight playoff games en route to an Eastern Conference Final appearance, MacEachern returned to the team that drafted him on a two-year deal worth $1.55MM in free agency. A one-way contract structure suggested the Blues envisioned him having a spot on their roster out of the gate. However, he ended up as one of their final cuts before the regular season began and cleared waivers before being assigned to Springfield. He scored four goals and added eight assists for 12 points in 22 games there before the Blues recalled him earlier this month. MacEachern played in five games on his initial recall, recording one assist and averaging 9:04 per game. The Blues then papered him down to Springfield on Christmas Eve. MacEachern will likely be in the lineup tonight against the Stars.
  • The Lightning recalled defenseman Sean Day from AHL Syracuse, marking the veteran pro’s third recall in the last week-and-a-half. Day, 25, has eight assists in 17 games with Syracuse this season, his fourth in the Lightning organization. The former OHL exceptional status grantee has gone 87 straight games without a goal in the minors, last lighting the lamp on April 8, 2022. He’s been rostered for four NHL games this month but has been a healthy scratch each time. Even with Mikhail Sergachev expected to remain out of the lineup tonight with a lower-body injury, Day will likely watch from the box as the Lightning take on the cross-state rival Panthers.
  • The Capitals brought young forwards Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko back up from AHL Hershey this morning. Lapierre, 21, and Miroshnichenko, 19, had appeared in each of Washington’s last three games before the holiday break and are expected to be linemates on a unit centered by Evgeny Kuznetsov tonight against the Rangers. Miroshnichenko, the 20th overall pick in 2022, is still looking for his first NHL point and has posted a -1 rating in 9:32 of his average ice time since his first career recall earlier this month. As NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti points out, the move suggests none of Washington’s three injured forwards – Sonny Milano, T.J. Oshie and Max Pacioretty – are ready to return for tonight’s game.
  • The Flyers recalled center Rhett Gardner from AHL Lehigh Valley after assigning him to the minors last Saturday. Gardner was rostered for the Flyers’ final three games before the holiday break but was a healthy scratch in all of them. The 27-year-old has yet to appear in a contest for Philadelphia after signing a two-year, two-way deal worth $825K in the minors and $1.5MM in the NHL in free agency and has just three goals and one assist in 21 games for Lehigh Valley this year.
  • Defenseman Grant Hutton was a participant at the Islanders’ morning skate Wednesday, suggesting the team has recalled him from AHL Bridgeport, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. This is Hutton’s seventh recall since American Thanksgiving despite playing only two NHL contests. The Islanders have been keeping him in the minors as much as possible to extend his waiver-exempt clock, allowing them to keep him on the roster as their seventh defenseman on game days. Their ability to freely move him between leagues is coming to an end soon, though, as the 28-year-old can remain on the NHL roster for six more days until he requires waivers again to head to Bridgeport.
  • Former AHL All-Star forward Tanner Fritz has left the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, the club he has played almost all of his pro career with, to sign a two-year deal with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Filling the forward spot opened by Fritz’s departure, Bridgeport recalled forward Jake Pivonka from their ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers. The Islanders originally signed Fritz as an undrafted college free agent out of Ohio State University, and he worked his way into the AHL by scoring 33 points in 43 games with the Islanders’ ECHL affiliate, the Kansas City Mavericks. Fritz ranks seventh all-time in points for Bridgeport, and will now head to a Minsk team that already boasts import talent such as Nick Merkley, Brett Ritchie, and Sam Anas. He’s going to attempt to aid Minsk’s offensive attack, a unit that has struggled this season as the team sits firmly outside of legitimate Gagarin Cup contention.
  • Former Florida Panthers prospect Thomas Schemitsch has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star. He’ll likely join Kunlun at the conclusion of the Spengler Cup, where he is currently on Team Canada’s roster. The 27-year-old stands six-foot-four, 205 pounds and will bring size as well as over 300 games of experience in a top pro league (the AHL) to the Red Star blueline. Schemitsch spent last season with the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks, scoring 14 points in 49 games on 18:37 time-on-ice per game.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Devils Recall Nico Daws

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The Devils recalled goaltender Nico Daws from the AHL’s Utica Comets Wednesday morning, a team announcement states.

Daws, 23, is with the Devils at their morning skate ahead of tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets. There is currently no injury designation for projected starter Vítek Vaněček or backup Akira Schmid. However, Vaněček has been sidelined on a short-term basis with an undisclosed injury multiple times this season, which caused him to miss a December 17 contest against the Ducks. Per the Star-Ledger’s Ryan Novozinsky, both Schmid and Vaněček are present alongside Daws at today’s morning skate.

If either Vaněček or Schmid cannot play tonight, Daws will dress as the backup. He has not made an NHL appearance since April 16, 2022, his last of 23 starts in the 2021-22 campaign.

Daws is still a promising young prospect, but Schmid lapped the German-born Canadian on the team’s depth chart last season. He was already pushed down further by the team’s acquisition of Vaněček in the summer of 2022. After recording a .904 SV% and 16-14-3 record in 33 games with Utica last season, Daws required offseason hip surgery that kept him out of action until early this month.

Once healthy, the Devils assigned Daws to Utica, where he’s since started three games. He’s received minimal goal support from the Comets offense, resulting in a 1-2-0 record, but he’s looked no worse for wear with a .929 SV%. Daws faced at least 30 shots in all three starts.

The Devils brought Daws back up from Utica on an emergency basis ahead of the contest against Anaheim, with Vaněček unable to dress. Daws sat on the bench as a backup to Schmid in that contest and was a healthy scratch for the team’s following game against the Flyers before being returned to the Comets last Wednesday.

World Juniors Notes: Salomonsson, Jiříček, Wolf

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Jets prospect and Team Sweden defenseman Elias Salomonsson has been suspended for one round-robin game at the ongoing 2024 World Junior Championship for checking Latvian forward Emīls Veckaktiņš during yesterday’s contest, the IIHF announced.

The incident occurred seconds into the game, meaning Salomonsson took just one shift in his tournament debut. He racked up as many penalty minutes on the play (25) as he did seconds logged in the contest. The IIHF ruled that Salomonsson “recklessly endangered the safety” of Veckaktiņš, resulting in a de facto two-game absence for one of Sweden’s top defenders.

Winnipeg’s 55th overall pick in the 2022 draft is playing in his first and final World Junior tournament, as he’ll age out of eligibility before the 2025 edition. A smooth-skating two-way defender with size, Salomonsson is under contract with Winnipeg but is on loan to Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. He has four assists and a +1 rating in 15 games this season while factoring in on the team’s second and third pairing. He’s been impressive on the pro international stage against other opponents from across Europe, notching a goal and three assists in eight Champions Hockey League games.

Other notes from the ongoing 2024 WJC this morning:

  • Team Czechia defenseman Adam Jiříček will reportedly miss the remainder of the tournament with a knee injury sustained in yesterday’s round-robin opening loss against Slovakia. It’s a tough break for the 2024-draft-eligible defender, who is widely viewed as a likely top-15 pick. The 17-year-old younger brother of Blue Jackets standout prospect David Jiříček is also a right-shot defender and, at 16 years old last season, led all defensemen in goals with 12 in the Czech U20 league. Playing with HC Plzeň in the top Czech men’s league this year, the Tipsport Extraliga, he has one assist and a -10 rating in 19 games. Czechia has replaced him on the roster with Tomáš Galvas, another 2024-draft-eligible defenseman, although he’s not projected as a first-round caliber prospect.
  • The injury bug has also hit Team Germany, who will be without projected starting goaltender Simon Wolf for the entire tournament, per Rinkside.de’s Chapin Landvogt. Wolf has returned to Germany from Gothenburg with an undisclosed ailment. The 19-year-old has put up good numbers in the Austrian circuit this season, posting a .916 SV% and 2.52 GAA in 13 games with EC Salzburg’s junior club in the second-tier AlpsHL and a .933 SV% in two appearances with the main club in the top-tier ICEHL. 19-year-old Philipp Dietl, who plays for EV Landshut in the second tier of German pro hockey, started today’s tournament opener against Finland.

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