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East Notes: Chychrun, Flyers, Devils, Werenski

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With the Senators struggling this season, some sort of core shakeup is expected under new GM Steve Staios.  Accordingly, some have suggested that defenseman Jakob Chychrun could be a candidate to be moved.  The blueliner spoke with Ian Mendes of The Athletic (subscription link) and voiced his frustration about being involved in trade speculation once again (he was in rumors for multiple years while in Arizona).  He also pushed back on any suggestions that he has soured on playing in Ottawa, going as far as saying that he’s “loving every moment here”.  While his desire may be to remain with the Sens, teams are certainly calling about Chychrun who has one year left on his contract after this season with a below-market $4.6MM cap hit.  He has 27 points in 43 games so far this season while logging over 22 minutes a night.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Flyers have been one of the biggest surprises of the season, sitting second in the Metropolitan Division heading into tonight’s action. However, don’t assume they’ll change plans and become buyers at the March 8th deadline.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Daniel Briere indicated that the team is still thinking about the future and that they shouldn’t be counted on as being big buyers by then.  However, he also suggested that he won’t necessarily look to move out veteran pieces for the sake of making trades either.  Philadelphia has been speculated as a possible seller, especially on the back end with blueliners Sean Walker and Nick Seeler set to become unrestricted free agents but it’s definitely possible that they largely stand pat with how well their season has gone.
  • The Devils are set to welcome back a pair of veterans tomorrow as team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that winger Ondrej Palat (lower body) and defenseman Colin Miller (illness) should return to the lineup tomorrow against Carolina. Palat has yet to play in 2024, another tough blow on what has been a quiet season so far as the 32-year-old has just five goals and nine assists in 35 games.  Miller, meanwhile, missed Monday’s game against Vegas and has had a sparing role in the first half of the year, collecting just five points in 25 games.
  • Blue Jackets blueliner Zach Werenski was expected to return at some point on their ongoing road trip but it appears it’ll be sooner rather than later. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch notes (Twitter link) that the 26-year-old appears to be on track to return on Thursday versus Calgary.  Werenski hasn’t played in nearly a month due to a lower-body injury but is still tied for second on the team in scoring with 25 points in 34 games.

Snapshots: Kraken, Woll, Svechnikov, Morrissey

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Vince Dunn is slated to return to the Seattle Kraken lineup on Wednesday, while Matthew Beniers is expected to remain out, team radio host Mike Benton relays. Both players have missed the last four games, and their absences have been felt – with Seattle losing all four and getting outscored 15-5.

Dunn lost the team’s leading scorer title to Oliver Bjorkstrand during his absences, with Bjorkstrand’s 36 points in 46 games cresting Dunn’s 35 points in 42 games. The 27-year-old Dunn still ranks 11th among the league’s defenders in scoring, on pace for a career-high 65 points in 78 games if he maintains this pace through the rest of the season – a mark that would just beat out the 64 points in 81 games he scored last season.

Hakstol also shared that goaltender Philipp Grubauer’s availability would be gauged in Wednesday night’s warmups. Grubauer has been out since December 9th with a lower-body injury. He’s managed five wins and a .884 save percentage in the 17 games he’s managed to appear in this season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including David Alter of Sports Illustrated that goaltender Joseph Woll will rejoin the team’s practices when they return from the All-Star break. Woll has been out since December 7th with an ankle injury. He was wrapped up in a race for Toronto’s starting position prior to his injury, setting eight wins and a team-leading .916 save percentage through 15 games. Woll will continue to make his case as an everyday NHLer when he returns, after entering the season with just 11 career games.
  • Andrei Svechnikov will miss the Carolina Hurricanes’ Wednesday night game with an upper-body injury, per team reporter Walt Ruff. Svechnikov has only appeared in 29 of Carolina’s 45 games this season but he ranks third on the team in scoring with 30 points, including 16 points over his last 10 games.
  • Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury and will not return, per a team announcement. While he hasn’t been able to score at the same level as a year ago when he had 76 points in 78 games to finish fifth in Norris Trophy voting, he entered tonight with 33 points in 45 contests to lead all Winnipeg blueliners in scoring by 15 points over teammate Neal Pionk.

Rangers Recall Jake Leschyshyn

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The Rangers have elected to make a roster move in advance of their game Friday against Vegas, announcing (Twitter link) that they have called forward Jake Leschyshyn from AHL Hartford.

The 24-year-old has spent the majority of the season with the Wolf Pack, getting into 16 games so far where he has four goals and three assists.  Leschyshyn was up with New York briefly earlier this month, making one appearance at the top level.  For his career, he has six points in 77 NHL appearances between the Rangers and Vegas.  He’s in the second season of a three-year, one-way deal that carries a cap hit below the minimum salary, coming in at just under $767K.

The Rangers already had 13 healthy forwards on their roster before this move so it’s a bit curious that they’ve opted to add Leschyshyn as well.  The move will officially be registered on Thursday (since the recall came after 4 PM CT) so it will be interesting to see if there’s any sort of corresponding roster move at that time.

Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Mitchell Chaffee

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Mitchell Chaffee from the Syracuse Crunch. This is Chaffee’s second call-up of the season, with the 25-year-old making his debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 12th. It was only the third game of Chaffee’s NHL career, with his other two appearances coming with the Minnesota Wild during the 2021-22 season. He’s yet to see a change in his stat line, though, going without a point or penalty, and having a -1 this season cancel out his +1 from two years ago.

Chaffee has also appeared in 33 AHL games this season, netting 11 goals and 25 points. It continues what’s been a productive AHL career for Chaffee, as he scored 23 goals and 39 points in 49 games last year and carries a career total of 88 points in 120 games. Chaffee kicked off his professional career in the 2020-21 season, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Wild after the end of University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s season. He spent three seasons in the Wild organization before signing a one-year contract with Tampa this summer.

Chafee played two seasons with the USHL’s Bloomington Thunder before his collegiate career – the predecessor to the ECHL’s newest club, the Bloomington Bison, revealed on Wednesday. The Bison brings Bloomington its highest level of hockey, though the city has previously hosted the CHL’s Bloomington PrairieThunder, the SPHL’s Bloomington Thunder, and the USHL’s Thunder and Central Illinois Flying Aces.

Afternoon Notes: Panthers, Myers, Johnson

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Top Florida Panthers centerman Aleksander Barkov will be a game-time decision for the team’s Wednesday night game against the Arizona Coyotes, per head coach Paul Maurice. Barkov has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury. Maurice also shared that defenseman Gustav Forsling is expected to make his return from a personal absence that held him out of Monday night’s game.

The Panthers performed admirably despite Barkov and Forsling’s absence, beating the Nashville Predators 4-1, bringing an end to a four-game losing streak. Interestingly, the losing streak came immediately after a nine-game winning streak that dated back to the holiday season. Florida will look to get back to their festive feelings with the return of both their second-highest-scoring forward and defenseman on a point-per-game basis.

Centerman Nick Cousins also made his return to Florida’s practices on Monday, wearing a no-contact jersey. Cousins has been out since January 2nd with a concussion. He’s appeared in 37 games this year, netting five points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -10.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent defenseman Philippe Myers to the AHL. Myers has been with the top club since January 1st, appearing in five games and failing to score a point. He’s spent the majority of his season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s managed a team-leading +20, in addition to nine points and 43 penalty minutes, through 28 games.
  • Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson will miss the team’s Wednesday night game with a nagging lower-body injury, per head coach Jared Bednar. He’s been designated as day-to-day. Johnson has played in 47 games this year, netting nine points, 34 penalty minutes, and a +6 – though he’s averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time, a step down from the 17 minutes he averaged last season.

Red Wings Notes: Kane, Chiarot, Rafferty, Compher

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Red Wings forward Patrick Kane was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports. It’s his first time joining the team at practice since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 14, nearly a week and a half ago.

Per St. James, the Red Wings hope Kane can return to action in one of their three games before the All-Star break but are still unsure of an exact return timeline. The 35-year-old has been out with a lower-body injury – a concerning designation given his recent hip surgery – but the two don’t appear to be related. Since signing his one-year, $2.75MM deal with Detroit, Kane has assumed a top-six role and posted seven goals and 16 points in 19 games, much closer to the level of production expected from the future Hall-of-Famer at this stage in his career. The Red Wings, who have a slim lead on the Devils for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, are 8-9-2 with a -9 goal differential in Kane’s 19 appearances this season.

Elsewhere from the Red Wings today:

  • St. James also relays that defenseman Ben Chiarot is not practicing today as he remains out with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day and has missed the last two games, most recently suiting up against the Hurricanes on Jan. 19. Chiarot, who’s rebounding somewhat after a ghastly defensive performance in his first campaign in Detroit, had averaged 19:31 per game and has 12 points in 45 contests. Given he isn’t yet ready to return to practice, he’ll likely miss tomorrow’s game against the Flyers. A day-to-day designation suggests he may return before the All-Star break, though.
  • The carousel continues for depth defenseman Brogan Rafferty, who the Red Wings returned to AHL Grand Rapids today, per a team release. The 28-year-old hasn’t played for Detroit this season despite being recalled three times in the past two weeks, only serving as insurance given their minor injuries on the blue line. This is Rafferty’s fourth transaction in the last four days, and with Chiarot likely out for tomorrow’s contest, the Red Wings will likely recall him again.
  • Also absent from practice today was center J.T. Compher, who head coach Derek Lalonde says is questionable for tomorrow against Philadelphia as he battles the flu. Compher has three points in his last three games after going pointless in six, bringing his total to 27 in 42 appearances during his first season in Detroit. His per-game pace is roughly the same as last year’s breakout performance with the Avalanche when he used his 52 points and 20:32 average time on ice to cash in with a five-year, $25.5MM commitment from the Red Wings in free agency.

Flames Place Nick DeSimone, Adam Ružička On Waivers

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The Flames placed defenseman Nick DeSimone and center Adam Ružička on waivers Wednesday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Calgary, per TSN’s Chris Johnston.

Ružička seemed like a candidate to challenge for a top-nine job with the Flames to start the season after logging 20 points in only 44 games last season. However, the 24-year-old cooled down significantly after recording four points through his first four games of the year, and his offensive pace is now down by half from 2022-23. He’s without a point in his last ten outings and was a healthy scratch in yesterday’s 4-3 loss to the Blues. He has three goals and nine points in 39 games on the year and is averaging a career-low 10:10 per game.

Still, the 2017 fourth-round pick could garner some interest on the waiver wire. Being in the second year of a two-year, league-minimum deal means his cap hit is $762.5K, $12.5K less than this year’s minimum salary. While he’s slated for RFA status with arbitration rights at the end of the season, opting not to issue him a qualifying offer would relieve a team of going to arbitration with him if they’re not impressed with his play.

DeSimone lands on waivers after his most recent call-up lasted nearly six weeks. The 29-year-old played in 15 of 19 games since his Dec. 12 call-up but has been a healthy scratch in each of the last two games, falling behind depth defenders Dennis Gilbert and Jordan Oesterle on the depth chart. His lack of role becomes more apparent with Oliver Kylington set to return from a year-and-a-half-long absence for mental health reasons against the Blue Jackets tomorrow.

Like Ružička, DeSimone is on an expiring deal carrying a $762.5K cap hit, although he’s slated for unrestricted free agency this summer. The right-shot blueliner has a career-high 23 games with Calgary this year, recording a goal and four assists while averaging 12:02 per game.

Canadiens Loan Joshua Roy To AHL

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The Canadiens returned forward Joshua Roy to AHL Laval on Wednesday, according to a team announcement.

Roy, 20, didn’t look entirely out of place in his first NHL call-up. A fifth-round pick of the team in 2021, Roy scored his first NHL goal in a 3-2 win over the Devils last Wednesday and added another assist in the span of six games. He averaged nearly 12 minutes per game and posted a 45.2% Corsi share at even strength. While that number doesn’t jump off the page, the Canadiens played a poor stretch of possession hockey during Roy’s call-up, resulting in the rookie posting a strong relative Corsi share of 4.1%.

It’s been a quick ascension for Roy, who now looks like one of the organization’s top prospects after slipping to the back half of the draft less than three years ago. He won back-to-back gold medals with Canada at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championship and was named to the QMJHL’s First All-Star Team in back-to-back years with the Sherbrooke Phoenix. In his first extended taste of pro hockey, Roy has excelled in Laval, tying for the team lead with 12 goals in 34 games while adding 18 assists for 30 points, earning Rookie of the Month honors in October.

After a promising first NHL stint, Roy will likely spend the rest of the season in the minors as he continues his development. He’ll be an outside candidate to crack Montreal’s opening night roster next season and should, barring an unforeseen bump in his development, be a full-time NHL player by the time his entry-level contract expires in 2026.

Coyotes’ Matt Dumba Out Week-To-Week

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Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, per the team. The 29-year-old did not play the second and third periods of Monday’s 5-2 win over the Penguins, although it’s unclear when he sustained the injury during the first period. He did not accompany the team on their three-game road trip through the southeastern United States, and he will remain out through the All-Star break at the least, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan.

It’s not all bad news on the injury front for Arizona. Per Morgan, forward Nick Schmaltz will return tonight against the Panthers after missing three games with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old had points in six of his last eight games before exiting the lineup.

This is another dent in what’s been a trying season for Dumba in the desert. The 600-game veteran is still shouldering significant ice time, logging just over 20 minutes per game, but has just two goals and five points in 44 contests while posting some of the worst possession numbers on the team. He’s with Arizona by way of a one-year, $3.9MM contract signed in free agency last August.

While he won’t draw in tonight, per Morgan, the open spot in the lineup should provide some opportunity for 2019 11th-overall pick Victor Söderström. The 22-year-old Swede hasn’t appeared in an NHL game yet this season but has taken strides forward with AHL Tucson, leading their defensemen with 13 assists and 21 points in 38 games. The team recalled him this week in the wake of a long-term injury to another depth defenseman, Troy Stecher.

The Coyotes have kept pace in the Western Conference playoff race, sitting slimly ahead of the Predators for the second Wild Card spot by points percentage after their win over Pittsburgh earlier in the week.

Blackhawks Sign Petr Mrázek To Extension

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11:34 a.m.: Chicago has made the extension official, confirming the two-year length and $4.25MM AAV.

8:31 a.m.: The Blackhawks are signing starting goalie Petr Mrázek to a two-year extension, The Athletic’s Scott Powers confirmed Wednesday. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report the news and added the deal is expected to come in just north of $8MM ($4MM AAV). The final contract will come in with an $8.5MM total value and $4.25MM AAV, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.

Mrázek, 31, is enjoying his best season in quite some time. He first joined the Blackhawks in a 2022 draft-day deal with the Maple Leafs. Toronto moved down 13 picks from the late first to the early second round to shed Mrázek’s three-year, $11.4MM ($3.8MM AAV) contract after his first season with the Maple Leafs was hampered by injuries and poor play.

At the time, it was rightfully viewed as a cap-dump move. He made only 20 appearances (18 starts) with Toronto in 2021-22, posting a subpar .888 SV% and -9.6 goals saved above average after a three-year run of decent play with the Hurricanes. Mrázek had shown the ability to be an inconsistent but high-ceiling starter earlier in his career with the Red Wings, though, and if he could remain healthy, he had the potential to return to form.

Last season’s initial showing in Chicago was a marginal improvement but still disappointing. No one expected Mrázek to save a team with Max Domi as their leading point-getter, but his .894 SV% and -6.3 goals saved above expected (MoneyPuck) were still lower than a league-average goalie would have posted in his situation. That’s improved starkly this season, though, as his SV% has jumped to .907, and he’s saving more goals than average for the first time since his injury-shortened 2020-21 campaign, his final season with Carolina. His 3.7 goals saved above expected in 32 games doesn’t put him in the Vezina Trophy conversation, but it is an impressive turnaround for a veteran goalie on a bottom-five defensive team.

The biggest difference is health. Mrázek hasn’t sustained an injury in nearly 10 months. His last absence lasted for nine days due to undisclosed reasons shortly after last season’s trade deadline. That’s the longest he’s gone without once since returning from a concussion in March 2020 and then sustaining a hand injury in late Jan. 2021, which limited him to 12 appearances that year.

For most other teams, questions would abound regarding the merits of giving Mrázek a multi-year deal. His laundry list of injury concerns is nothing to scoff at, and he hasn’t put up back-to-back seasons of above-average play since his first two full seasons in the league with Detroit in the mid-2010s.

However, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson’s team-building goal over the next couple of seasons is team-building around star rookie Connor Bedard, not signing value contracts for success. Despite Bedard’s strong early showings, Chicago is still a few seasons away from exiting their rebuild. The team believes it important to have a veteran core around Bedard and its other prospects to help insulate them and prevent them from burning out too soon, hence a pair of similar extensions for forwards Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno that also came in well above market value.

In the unlikely event that Mrázek reproduces these solid numbers in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns, this is a decent bit of business for Davidson to shore up his crease while under-25 names like Drew Commesso, Adam Gajan, Arvid Söderblom, and Jaxson Stauber continue to develop. The Blackhawks aren’t in a position where they’ll need to offload Mrázek’s deal to create additional cap space if it doesn’t work out, either, and his deal is set to expire along with Dickinson’s and Foligno’s in 2026. That’s when Bedard will be due for a massive extension after his entry-level contract.

After extending Mrázek, the Blackhawks’ projected cap hit for next season is just north of $48.25MM, per CapFriendly. They still need to allocate over $16MM in cap hits to next season’s roster to be compliant with the 2024-25 Lower Limit, which is expected to rise to $64.7MM from this season’s $61.7MM.

The deal also takes Mrázek off the market ahead of this season’s trade deadline, where he likely could have garnered significant interest with salary retention on Chicago’s end from contending teams looking for a quality backup. It also takes some free agency work off Davidson’s plate, who presumably won’t pursue a netminder on the UFA market for the second straight season.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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