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Devils Grant Michael McLeod, Cal Foote Indefinite Leaves Of Absence

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The Devils granted forward Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote indefinite leaves of absence from the team on Wednesday at the players’ request, per a team announcement.

McLeod and Foote are the third and fourth NHL players to be granted indefinite leaves in the past three days, joining Flames forward Dillon Dubé and Flyers goaltender Carter Hart. The Flames specified Dubé’s leave of absence was for mental health reasons, while the Flyers did not specify the reason for Hart’s leave. Senators forward prospect Alex Formenton, who is under contract in Switzerland with National League club HC Ambrì-Piotta, was also granted a leave of absence today and has returned to Canada, per the club.

All five players were members of the 2018 Canadian national junior team that is actively under investigation by police in London, Ontario, as well as the NHL, for an alleged sexual assault involving members of the team in June of that year. The Globe and Mail’s Robyn Doolittle reported Wednesday that London police have told five unnamed players to surrender to face sexual assault charges in connection to the incident. London police have not yet filed formal charges against the players.

Avalanche To Activate Artturi Lehkonen

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The Avalanche will activate winger Artturi Lehkonen off long-term injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Capitals, head coach Jared Bednar said on Altitude Sports 92.5 FM (KKSE-FM) on Wednesday. Both he and defenseman Bowen Byram, who the team activated from injured reserve Tuesday, will return from multi-week absences tonight, per Bednar.

Lehkonen has not played since sustaining a neck injury against the Kraken on Nov. 9. His return ends a 35-game absence over the course of two and a half months.

The 28-year-old’s return to play comes soon after Colorado’s other major source of secondary scoring, Valeri Nichushkin, entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The Avalanche have a 3-2-0 record and a +4 goal differential in their last five games without either Lehkonen or Nichushkin, importantly keeping pace for second place in the Central Division ahead of the Stars, who are only one point back of Colorado and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

Lehkonen shouldered major minutes for the Avalanche through the first 12 games of the year, averaging 18:29 per game, including his injury-shortened outing against Seattle. The Finnish winger posted three goals and five assists for eight points, a slight dip in pace from last season’s career-high 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games.

His return will help shoulder the indefinite loss of Nichushkin and will provide a needed boost to a middle-six that’s struggled to produce much offense. While Colorado’s 179 goals lead the league, a disproportionate amount of that has come from Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Notably, Ross Colton and Logan O’Connor each have six points in their last five games and are hovering around a 41-point pace.

Now, the Avalanche hope Lehkonen can stay healthy until the postseason, where he’s done some of his best work. He posted 14 points in 20 games en route to 2022’s Stanley Cup win and had three goals and six points in last season’s seven-game loss to the Kraken in the First Round.

Predators Sign Cole Smith To Extension

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The Predators signed forward Cole Smith to a two-year, $2MM ($1MM AAV) contract extension on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The deal begins next season and keeps Smith under contract through 2026.

Smith, 28, is playing the 2023-24 season on a one-year, league-minimum contract that was set to make him a UFA this summer. This is his first multi-year contract with Nashville after signing four consecutive one-year deals since turning pro in 2020.

The Predators’ undrafted pickup out of the University of North Dakota is transforming into a solid bottom-six presence, pacing himself for career highs with five goals and 16 points in 46 games while averaging a career-high 13:30 per game. His individual possession numbers are underwhelming (a 47.2% Corsi share at even strength), though, and his line with Colton Sissons and Yakov Trenin is near the bottom of the league in terms of generating quality scoring chances, per MoneyPuck.

That being said, Smith’s $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors and would not count against the team’s salary cap if they opted to waive him. If he can round out his game, it’s a solid bet on the part of Predators GM Barry Trotz to get a 25-to-35-point scorer locked in at an affordable rate for the next pair of seasons.

Since signing with the Predators in 2020, Smith has nine goals, 24 assists, 33 points, and averages 12:43 per game through 124 contests. The extension will make him a UFA for the second time in his career at age 30 in 2026.

Salt Lake City-Based Owners Request Initiation Of Formal NHL Expansion Process

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Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group filed a request for initiation of a formal expansion process by the NHL, according to a press release Wednesday. SEG owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz, MLS’ Real Salt Lake, and the NWSL’s Utah Royals.

This is the next step in the process that’s been ongoing since Ryan Smith, the head of SEG, expressed interest in receiving an NHL squad over a year ago. Salt Lake City has frequently been included in discussions as a potential relocation option if the Coyotes’ lack of a full-time arena in the Phoenix area goes unresolved.

In a statement, the NHL said they “have been impressed by [the Smiths’] commitment to their community” and called Utah “a promising market.” The league did not outline concrete next steps in a potential expansion bid but did confirm they would continue discussions with SEG.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has not yet discussed a Salt Lake City expansion with the league’s Board of Governors, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun says. Owner approval is the next large benchmark in the awarding of an expansion franchise.

If the Coyotes don’t have a formal arena plan filed with the league by the end of the month, expect relocation discussions to spread rapidly. Assumedly, Salt Lake City would still be in discussions as a relocation option, not expansion, given its proximity to the Coyotes’ current home and an NHL-ready arena in the Delta Center, home of the Jazz. The city also has concrete plans to construct a new, hockey-specific venue within the next ten years in anticipation of the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Austin Watson Out Week-To-Week

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In a bit of a knock to their depth, beat writer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chris Krenn reports that forward Austin Watson is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Watson originally came to the Lightning organization as an unrestricted free agent shortly before the start of the regular season after the team mutually parted ways with forward Josh Archibald.

Watson’s first season in Tampa Bay has been relatively quiet, as he has only managed to average a little under seven minutes of ice time a game, also having been regularly a healthy scratch. Suiting up in 26 games for the Lightning up to this point, Watson has scored two goals and one assist while also producing a total of 69 PIMs already.

At face value, the loss of Watson alone will not serve as a massive missing piece for Tampa Bay, but with Tanner Jeannot and Erik Cernak also out of the lineup, the top three leaders in hits for the team are now all out with injury. Serving as one of the more physical teams, especially in the Eastern Conference, the Lightning’s preferred style of play will be lost for the next few games. In the meantime, on the active roster, the new leader in hits for the team falls to Luke Glendening, who has thrown a total of 58 so far this season.

Metro Notes: Toffoli, Tippett, Chytil, Svechnikov

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In his press conference this afternoon, the General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, Tom Fitzgerald, spoke on the upcoming unrestricted free agency of forward Tyler Toffoli and his interest in extending Toffoli beyond this season (X Link). Fitzgerald mentioned that he has had multiple agents with Toffoli’s agent to gauge the interest in Toffoli returning to the Devils for the next several years.

Acquired from the Calgary Flames over the offseason, the trade for Toffoli will likely be one of the bigger win-win trades for both teams. With Yegor Sharangovich producing rather well in Calgary, Toffoli currently sits third on the Devils in points with 20 goals and 33 points in 45 games.

At 31 years of age, it is unlikely that Toffoli will command a long-term contract by any stretch, but with his production over the last couple of seasons, he may command anywhere from $6MM-$7MM on the open market. Having just over $67MM in commitments for next season, New Jersey will have around $20MM in cap space next summer, giving them an adequate amount of space to retain Toffoli under that dollar value. However, with Michael McLeod and Dawson Mercer also needing contracts after this season, the Devils may look to spend their money elsewhere.

Other Metro notes:

  • With several roster moves taking place today for the Philadelphia Flyers, the team also announced that they have placed forward Owen Tippett on injured reserve retroactive to January 21st. Unfortunately, with the Flyers’ last game before the All-Star break coming on January 27th, this means that Tippett will have to wait until February 6th to get back into a game. On a similar pace to last season, Tippett has scored 18 goals and 30 points in 46 games for Philadelphia so far this year.
  • Having been on the New York Rangers’ long-term injured reserve since November 28th, there is still no timeline for the return of Filip Chytil according to head coach Peter Laviolette (X Link). Hoping to build off his successful 2022-23 season under a new coach, Chytil has only managed 10 games before suffering an upper-body injury in early November, limiting his production to a total of six assists on the season.
  • In an undisclosed injury up to this point, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal is reporting that Carolina Hurricanes’ forward Andrei Svechnikov would miss the team’s game against the Boston Bruins. Already dealing with injuries earlier in the season, Svechnikov has returned at a scorching pace, scoring 11 goals and 30 points in 29 games. In later reporting, Lavalette noted that Svechnikov’s current injury is unrelated to his injury struggles earlier in the year.

Atlantic Notes: Reaves, Bertuzzi, Johnson, Rafferty, Cernak

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In preparation for the team’s high-profile game against the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night, the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs will look a bit different. Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports that the team has activated forward Ryan Reaves off of the injured reserve while designating forward Tyler Bertuzzi as a non-roster player as he prepares for the birth of a child.

With Bertuzzi not expected to miss a significant amount of time with the birth of his child, the lineup change will be short-lived. Suffice it to say, after having acquired both forwards in the offseason as unrestricted free agents, the Maple Leafs have not gotten a particularly good return on investment in either player.

Having been out for a little over a month with a lower-body injury, Reaves has scored one goal in 21 games for Toronto so far this year and still carries a team-worst -11 rating on the year after signing a three-year, $4.05MM contract with the Maple Leafs in July. Comparatively, as the highest-paid forward beyond the ’Big Four’ in Toronto, Bertuzzi has managed only six goals in 45 games played, on pace for his lowest-goal total in his career throughout a full season.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • Mike Harrington of Buffalo News Sports reports that Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Erik Johnson will be out of the lineup both today and tomorrow. Although he would be eligible to return Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, Harrington points out that Johnson is only considered a possibility for that game, as the team may keep him out until after the All-Star break. Brought over in the offseason to shore up the right side of the team’s defense, Johnson has scored three goals for Buffalo this season while averaging the lowest total ice time of his career.
  • Prior to the team’s game tonight against the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings announced they had recalled defenseman Brogan Rafferty from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. This being his third recall of the year, Rafferty has yet to play in a game for the Red Wings although he already has two goals and 15 points for the Griffins this season.
  • Not included in the team’s game tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, Erik Cernak has returned to practice for the Tampa Bay Lightning (X Link). Cernak has been out of the lineup since January 11th with an upper-body injury but could make his return before the All-Star break. In 39 games for the Lightning this season, Cernak has managed to tally five assists while averaging a touch over 19 minutes of ice time a night.

Nashville Predators Assign Juuso Parssinen To AHL

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Per a team announcement, the Nashville Predators have sent down forward Juuso Parssinen to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Since being recalled by the Predators on November 12th of last season, Parssinen has managed to stick around for quite some time for Nashville, but will now play in the AHL for the first time in over a year.

After scoring 25 points in 45 games for the Predators last year, Parssinen has seen a real depression in his production this season, having only eight goals and 12 points in a similar amount of games played. For the first half of the season, Parssinen was garnering nearly 15 minutes of ice time a night, scoring six goals and nine points in the process. However, in his last six games played, even though he’s tallied three points, Parssinen has seen his ice time cut by nearly two minutes and has been healthy scratched altogether in the team’s most recent contest.

Seemingly fallen out of favor with head coach Andrew Brunette, Parssinen will now try his luck up in Milwaukee, a team that he has had a moderate amount of success in very limited action. Only two years removed from making his way to North America, Parssinen has only suited up in 10 games for the Admirals, all coming early last year, putting up nine points overall.

Still carrying a 22-man roster, and the adequate play of Denis Gurianov since his recall on January 6th, the team more than likely felt comfortable moving Parssinen to the AHL to regain confidence in his play. Much unlike the Predators, Parssinen will now join an Admiral team alone in first place in the AHL’s Central Division.

Pacific Notes: Hill, Ferraro, Bjorkstrand, Kemp

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As alluded to this morning in the team’s reassignment of goaltender Jiri Patera to their AHL affiliate, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun reports that the Vegas Golden Knights have removed Adin Hill from the injured reserve, and he is on track to dress in the team’s game tonight against the New York Islanders. Even though he will be back in the lineup, it is unclear if Hill will start in tonight’s contest, or if the Golden Knights will continue to utilize Logan Thompson.

Being one of the better success stories of last season, there were high expectations for Hill coming off an impressive run to the Stanley Cup last year. When he has been healthy, Hill has once again been one of the better netminders in the league, producing a 10-2-2 record in 15 games with a league-leading .933 SV% and 1.99 GAA to boot.

However, for the fourth time in his career and already the second time this season, Hill has missed a significant amount of time with injury, being one of the main drivers of Vegas’ fall in the standings. Since recovering from his current injury suffered on December 17th, the Golden Knights have only managed a 6-8-1 record, falling to eighth in the league standings.

Other Pacific notes:

  • After suffering an undisclosed injury in the team’s most recent game, Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group reports that San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro will not play tonight. Fortunately, subsequent reporting indicated that the injury to Ferraro was not as bad as expected, but the Sharks will likely be keeping him out through the All-Star break to fully recover.
  • Kate Shefte of Seattle Times Sports reported that Seattle Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand had missed the team’s practice today due to personal reasons. With a game tomorrow night against the Chicago Blackhawks, it is unclear if Bjorkstrand will be in the lineup or not. As the Kraken’s lone All-Star representative, Bjorkstrand is putting together quite the season, scoring 12 goals and 36 points in all 46 games for the team.
  • Having spent two weeks with the team since being recalled on January 9th, the Edmonton Oilers announced they have loaned defenseman Philip Kemp to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Making his NHL debut on January 13th, Kemp was unable to score his first NHL point after only managing two minutes of ice time. With Kemp now back in Bakersfield, the Oilers were able to comfortably place the new contract of Corey Perry onto their active roster.

Carter Hart Granted Indefinite Leave Of Absence

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In a rather shocking announcement coming from the Philadelphia Flyers, the team has granted goaltender Carter Hart an indefinite leave of absence due to personal reasons.

It is an unfortunate development for both the player and the team, as Hart is in the midst of yet another quality season for the Flyers. Including this season, over the last three years, Hart has produced a 47-56-20 record in Philadelphia, carrying a solid .906 SV% and 2.99 GAA. Although the amount of wins is likely not where he would like them to be, the strong play of Hart this year has helped put the Flyers squarely in a position to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Given that speculation surrounding the specific reasoning for Hart’s leave of absence would be inappropriate, if Hart has broken a team conduct rule within the organization, it is more than likely the team will announce that in the near future. If Hart is dealing with a separate family matter away from the arena, that would inherently deserve privacy.

Moving forward, in Hart’s absence, Samuel Ersson should assume the starting role, as he has put together an impressive season by all accounts. In 22 games played for the Flyers this year, Ersson carries a 12-6-3 record while producing a .909 SV% and 2.36 GAA. Furthermore, even though Hart has garnered the majority of starts in net for Philadelphia, Ersson leads the team in shutouts with three.

In a corresponding roster move, the Flyers have announced they will be recalling goaltender Calvin Petersen from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Acquired as a salary dump from the Los Angeles Kings this past offseason, Petersen has only managed two games in Philadelphia in his first season with the club. Playing primarily for the Phantoms, Petersen has not done particularly well, earning a 5-8-2 record in 15 games with a very modest .890 SV%.

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