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Evening Notes: Nieto, Gendron, Zaitsev

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Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have transferred forward Matthew Nieto to the Long-Term Injured Reserve after activating forward Bryan Rust. Nieto has been out of action for the Penguins with a lower-body injury since November 30th and is free to return whenever he is physically able to as he has already exceeded the 10-game, 24-day requirement for LTIR.

Nieto signed a two-year deal with the Penguins on July 1st and has been terrific on the penalty kill but has struggled at even strength as the fourth line has been ineffective when he has been a part of it thus far. In 22 games this season the 31-year-old Long Beach, California native has a goal and three assists. The timing of Nieto’s injury was unfortunate as he was starting to gain traction in the games leading up to him getting hurt.

In other evening notes:

  • Philadelphia Flyers writer Bill Meltzer is reporting that the Flyers have returned forward Alexis Gendron to the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL. The 20-year-old had played in 17 games for the Flyers AHL affiliate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and had posted five goals and two assists. His QMJHL rights were traded by the Gatineau Olympiques to Drummondville on December 30th meaning he will be suiting up for the Voltigeurs for the first time.
  • Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks are set to welcome defenseman Nikita Zaitsev back to the lineup tonight when they take on the Nashville Predators. The 32-year-old has been out with an illness and will draw back into the lineup in place of Isaak Phillips after a two-game absence. Zaitsev has dressed in 18 games this season and has averaged 15:42 of ice time per game while registering a goal and four assists.

East Notes: Samsonov, Meier, Cernak, Fleury

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Having just cleared waivers yesterday, questions immediately sprouted concerning Ilya Samsonov, and how the Toronto Maple Leafs plan to deal with the struggling goaltender. Now rostered with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic shed a bit more light on the issue this afternoon.

Speaking with the General Manager of the Maple Leafs, Brad Treliving, it does not appear that Samsonov will play nor practice with the Marlies this week, as Treliving is quoted as saying, “It’s a physical and a mental reset where can he get away from preparing for the next game and all the pressures that come with it”.

Although a bold action to take near the middle of the season, Toronto is seemingly running out of ideas on how to maximize Samsonov’s play between the pipes. In what is shaping to be the worst statistical output of his career, Samsonov holds a 5-2-6 record in 15 games, carrying a dismal .862 SV% and a 3.94 GAA.

Other notes:

  • Experiencing plenty of injury concerns from multiple significant players this season, the New Jersey Devils will be without forward Timo Meier for an undisclosed amount of time, as he is dealing with a mid-body injury according to team reporter, Amanda Stein. Stein indicates that it is not a re-aggravation of any of Meier’s previous injury concerns this season, something he has been seemingly battling for much of the regular season.
  • Taking a hit to their defensive core, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be without Erik Cernak on a day-to-day basis, while Haydn Fleury will be on more of a week-to-week timeline (X Link). In all fairness to Fleury, Cernak is the more significant defenseman to miss time, as he has blossomed into one of the better shutdown defensemen in the NHL with Tampa Bay. Averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game, Cernak holds a 90.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength this season.

Penguins Activate Bryan Rust; Reassign Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Shea

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As alluded to in multiple reports this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have officially activated forward Bryan Rust off of long-term injured reserve, and he will return to the lineup tonight as the team takes on the Washington Capitals. In a corresponding roster move, the team also announced that forward Vinnie Hinostroza and defenseman Ryan Shea had both been sent down to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Rust, who has been on the team’s long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury since December 6th, will serve as yet another significant reinforcement back into the Penguins lineup. Only a few weeks ago, Pittsburgh saw the return of fellow forward Rickard Rakell, after he missed he missed a month of action on LTIR.

Even after missing the team’s last 10 contests, Rust still impressively sits sixth on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 20 points in 22 games. With Rust back in the lineup, the Penguins will be able to carry a full top-six, a luxury they have largely been without for much of the 2023-24 season.

Although their position in the standings looked dire a few weeks ago, the Penguins have found themselves back in the playoff conversation, moving to one point back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference correlating with the return of a lot of their injured players. Over their last 10 games, Pittsburgh holds a 7-2-1 record, picking up a solid win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and two wins over the New York Islanders over that stretch.

For the reassignments, it will now mark the sixth time Hinostroza has been sent down this season, although a handful of those demotions were merely paper transactions for the Penguins to manage their salary cap outlook. Being brought in as a flexible and veteran forward option for the team this past summer, Hinostroza has one goal and three points with Pittsburgh so far this season.

Shea, on the other hand, has played in a majority of the Penguins’ games up to this point in the season, suiting up in 22 contests, averaging just under 12 and a half minutes per game. Viewed as a bit of a reclamation project for the organization, Shea’s defensive play has been solid during his limited usage with Pittsburgh. Failing to produce a point on the year, his 50.2% CorsiFor% and his 92.6% on-ice save percentage in all situations both serve as relatively above-average marks for a defenseman in his position.

It is more than likely that both Shea and Hinostroza will find themselves back up in the NHL at some point this season, they will now help a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team in a similar position to their NHL affiliate. Through 31 games, the baby Penguins hold a 16-12-3-0 record, sitting in fifth place in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.

Pacific Injury Notes: Soucy, Hoglander, Gagner, Holloway, Burroughs

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In a report from Thomas Drance of The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks will have to wait a bit longer for the return of Carson Soucy. Making his way back from a fractured leg, Soucy had just recently returned to skating a little over a week ago. In the same report, Drance also points out that forward Nils Hoglander will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

With an injury to his knee, foot, and leg all within his first three months as a member of the Canucks organization, Soucy’s tenure with the team has already been plagued by injuries. Of the 36 games played by Vancouver so far this season, Soucy has only suited up in 13 of those, only being available for 36% of the team’s games up to this point. When Soucy eventually returns to the lineup, assuming he can stay clear of injuries for the remainder of the season, the Canucks will own one of the most well-rounded defensive cores across the league.

In the case of Hoglander, it is unclear by the reporting if he is dealing with a nagging injury, or if the Canucks are debating on carrying him as an extra forward tonight. Although he suited up in the team’s most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers, recent reports indicated that Hoglander had been moved off the second line and recently practiced as an extra forward.

Other injury notes:

  • With forward Dylan Holloway ready to return from his knee injury suffered in mid-November, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic expects both he and forward Sam Gagner to be in the lineup this weekend for the Edmonton Oilers. Although Edmonton has recovered fairly well since the organization’s horrid start to the regular season, the bottom half of their forward core has still been a significant issue across the board. Gagner has been a solid addition in that department in now his third stint with the Oilers, and the reintroduction of Holloway’s physical play will certainly make Edmonton harder to play against each night.
  • Having missed the team’s most recent game on New Year’s Eve, San Jose Sharks defenseman, Kyle Burroughs confirms he will be back in the lineup tonight as the Sharks take on the Detroit Red Wings (X Link). Going through a difficult season similar to the rest of his teammates, Burroughs has tallied four assists in 35 games this year, carrying a -22 rating into tonight’s action.

Minnesota Places Vinni Lettieri On IR, Recalls Samuel Walker

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In an announcement coming from the Minnesota Wild this afternoon, the organization has placed depth forward Vinni Lettieri on injury reserved due to a lower-body injury. In a corresponding move, the team has recalled Samuel Walker from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

As reported this morning, veteran Marcus Foligno will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Calgary Flames, and with Lettieri also injured, Minnesota was put in a position where they may have only been able to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Instead, with Lettieri’s placement on the injured reserve and the subsequent callup of Walker, the team will now be able to put together four full offensive lines for their matchup tonight.

Even while maintaining their roster flexibility, it will mark another time this season that the Wild’s depth has been tested. In his own right, Lettieri himself was viewed as an extra forward for Minnesota at the beginning of the season, coming over from the Boston Bruins organization on a two-year, $1.55MM contract this past summer.

In what is now his second call-up with the organization since clearing waivers on November 24th, Lettieri has suited up in a total of 19 games for the Wild this season, scoring one goal and four points on the team’s fourth line. Although he has shown spurts of solid play, his 45.8% CorsiFor%, as well as his 6.3% team on-ice shooting percentage in all situations are both below his career averages.

It has been a difficult transition back into the NHL for Lettieri, as a fourth-line role is somewhat foreign territory for him compared to his usage at the AHL level. Throughout his time in the AHL, Lettieri has been nearly a point-per-game player, scoring 237 points in 277 career games. Due to that, and his regular usage of the powerplay, Lettieri will have to add a bit more hard-nosed physicality into his game for a smoother transition.

Walker, an Edina, Minnesota native came over to the organization in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft. Having already made his NHL debut last year, Walker has suited up in two games this season in mid-October. Similarly to Lettieri, Walker has also been a heavily relied upon offensive talent for Iowa, as he currently sits third on the team in scoring.

Seattle Kraken Place Jaycob Megna On Waivers

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According to a team release, the Seattle Kraken have placed defenseman Jaycob Megna on waivers to assign him to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This will mark the sixth time Megna has been placed on waivers since breaking into the league during the 2016-17 season.

Originally the second to last pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, it would take Megna five seasons to crack an NHL roster after finishing out his collegiate career with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, making his NHL debut with the Anaheim Ducks during the 2016-17 season. Only skating in one contest that year, Megna would regularly skate with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.

Without gaining much traction in the NHL throughout his three-year stretch with the Ducks, Megna would make a few more pit stops throughout the AHL, before landing with the San Jose Sharks as an unrestricted free agent before the 2021-22 season. Although producing modestly relative to the rest of the league, Megna would skate in 44 games for the Sharks, scoring two goals and eight points, both career highs at that time.

San Jose would go on to reward Megna’s depth play for the organization, signing Megna to a two-year, $1.525MM contract the following summer. Last year, in the first season of that contract, Megna would suit up in 48 games for the Sharks, scoring one goal and 12 points in total, before finally being shipped to the Kraken in early February.

Since the beginning of the season, Megna has been on the active roster for Seattle, albeit from a three-day conditioning loan that had him playing two games for Coachella Valley. Serving as the seventh or even eighth defenseman on the Kraken for the year up to this point, Megna has not played in any games for Seattle this season.

Similar to a majority of players throughout the league, Megna has historically been much more productive at the AHL level, scoring 18 goals and 98 points over 370 regular season games. He will now suit up for a Firebirds team that is looking to defend their Western Conference championship from a season ago, as they currently sit sixth in the Pacific Division with a 16-10-2 record on the year.

Central Notes: Hartman, Foligno, Landeskog, Murray

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Wild forward Ryan Hartman was fined over $4.4K, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for high-sticking Jets forward Cole Perfetti during Sunday’s 3-2 loss, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced today. This is the seventh fine of Hartman’s career, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes, and his second disciplinary punishment of the season after being assessed a two-game suspension for tripping Red Wings winger Alex DeBrincat in November.

The incident in question was confirmed to be deliberate, inexplicably coming out of Hartman’s mouth during gameplay. Perfetti, who was wearing a microphone for Sunday’s game, told reporters today that Hartman told Perfetti that the high stick was retribution for the Brenden Dillon cross-check that injured Wild star Kirill Kaprizov the day before (via the Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre). Perfetti, who turned 22 yesterday, was not involved in the Dillon/Kaprizov altercation.

For the Wild, the lack of a suspension for Hartman is great news. Already dealing with injuries to two-thirds of their first line in Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, middle-six bruiser Marcus Foligno is now a game-time decision for tonight’s clash against the Flames with a lingering undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. The 32-year-old Foligno, who has four points in his last five games, skated in a third-line role alongside Frédérick Gaudreau and Pat Maroon in Sunday’s loss.

His absence would force the Wild to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, as veteran d-man Jonathon Merrill is the only healthy extra skater on Minnesota’s roster. The Wild are eligible to use an emergency recall in Foligno’s absence, but without ruling him out for tonight’s contest, they wouldn’t be able to do so until after the game.

Elsewhere in the Central Division today:

  • Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to Denver from Sweden to continue his recovery from a right-knee cartilage transplant earlier this season, leading to increased hope that he could return for a potential 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs berth and suit up for the first time since Colorado captured the championship in 2022. The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak revealed last weekend that Landeskog’s family has now moved back to Colorado, furthering confidence that the long-time first-line fixture will resume his career at some point. The 31-year-old has now undergone multiple knee surgeries over the past three years and has not eclipsed the 70-game mark in a season since the 2018-19 campaign, five years ago.
  • After being sent down for salary cap management purposes yesterday, Stars netminder Matt Murray was recalled from AHL Texas today, per team radio analyst Bruce LeVine. The 25-year-old is once again in the NHL on an emergency basis while starter Jake Oettinger is sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He has not made an appearance since Oettinger exited the lineup over two weeks ago, however, leading to seven straight starts for veteran backup Scott Wedgewood. The 31-year-old Ontarian has been up to the task, posting a 6-1-1 record and .906 SV% since Oettinger left a December 15 game against the Senators less than halfway through the first period. The Stars have not had back-to-back games since Oettinger was injured. Murray, who does not require waivers and has a .908 SV% through 13 games with AHL Texas this season, will continue to back up Wedgewood for the foreseeable future.

Sabres’ Kyle Okposo Out Week-To-Week

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Sabres captain Kyle Okposo will be out on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury, the team said Tuesday. Okposo was unexpectedly absent from team practice this morning, as relayed by The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. Head coach Don Granato said later Tuesday that Okposo sustained the injury during the team’s loss to the Senators on Sunday, but did not miss a shift.

Okposo, 35, is in his second season as the Sabres’ captain and his eighth in Buffalo since signing a seven-year, $42MM contract as a free agent in the summer of 2016. He’s no longer bound to that initial long-term deal, signing a one-year, $2.5MM contract extension to remain in upstate New York for this season last May.

It’s been another decent season of depth production from the Minnesotan, who missed significant chunks of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with severe concussion symptoms. While he had no points in his last four games prior to the injury, he had notched eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 38 games. That puts him on the exact 0.37 points-per-game pace he set last season with the Sabres, although it remains a step back from the 21 goals and 45 points he scored in the 2021-22 campaign.

Okposo hasn’t been the bona fide second-line winger the Sabres thought they were getting almost eight years ago, but the seventh overall pick by the Islanders in the 2006 NHL Draft has grown into a valuable veteran presence on a team largely dominated by young talent. He doesn’t log a ton of time on special teams units, although he does still see occasional usage on the power play and penalty kill and averages nearly 14 minutes per game in all situations. His 49.6% Corsi share at even strength certainly doesn’t make him a chance-suppression juggernaut, but he’s avoided becoming a liability in the late stages of his career.

It’s a tough injury break for a Sabres team that’s already dealt with the longer-term absences of Zach Benson, Zemgus Girgensons, Jack Quinn, and Tage Thompson this year. After an already disappointing start to the season, the Sabres are no closer to turning things around with a 4-5-1 record in their last ten games. Nearly halfway through the NHL calendar, their playoff chances have dipped below ten percent, per MoneyPuck – a tough spot to be in for a rebuilding team expected to take steps forward from their tenth-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season. Their 15-19-4 record has them 14th in the conference at present, ahead of only the Blue Jackets and Senators.

With two extra forwards already on the roster available to replace Okposo in the lineup (Victor Olofsson and Eric Robinson), the Sabres do not need to make a recall from AHL Rochester. If they choose to do so, they currently have a full 23-player roster and would need to move Okposo to injured reserve to accommodate a recall. One of Olofsson or Robinson will likely slot in a fourth-line role alongside Girgensons and Peyton Krebs in their next game against the Canadiens on Thursday.

Morning Notes: Anisimov, Moser, Lazar

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Artem Anisimov isn’t ready to call it quits just yet, signing a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. This brings Anisimov back into the New York Rangers organization, the same place he started his career after going 54th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. Anisimov played in two seasons for Hartford after being drafted, scoring a strong 124 points in 154 games. The scoring was strong enough to earn him his NHL debut in 2009, with Anisimov quickly becoming an everyday NHL talent with 18 goals and 44 points in 82 games during his sophomore 2010-11 season.

Anisimov was moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets after four seasons with the Rangers. He spent three more in Columbus, before spending four years in Chicago and two in Ottawa. All the while, Anisimov remained a fantastic depth scorer, recording four seasons of 20-or-more goals in his nine seasons outside of New York. His career totaled 771 games and 376 points before Anisimov slipped away from the NHL, moving to Russia’s KHL for the 2021-22 season and spending last year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. The 35-year-old centerman managed 19 goals and 36 points in 55 AHL games last year, suggesting that he may have some more left in the tank. He’ll have a chance to prove that now back where his career started.

More notes from around the league:

  • J.J. Moser is set to return to the Arizona Coyotes lineup on Tuesday. The young defender missed two games after suffering an upper-body injury on December 23rd. Moser is in his third NHL season and has 15 points and a +8 through 33 games on the year. It’s the first time in Moser’s young career that he’s had a positive +/-.
  • Curtis Lazar returned to the New Jersey Devils’ practice on Tuesday, after missing the team’s last three games with a lower-body injury. Lazar has been designated as day-to-day and was a game-time decision for both Friday and Saturday. Lazar has been an important piece of the Devils lineup when he can go, netting four goals and 10 points through 30 games this season.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Seattle Kraken

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Seattle Kraken.

Who are the Kraken thankful for?

Joey Daccord.

It seems a lot of things are clicking at the right time for the Seattle Kraken, but their season has been underlined by Joey Daccord’s surge into the starting role. The 27-year-old goaltender has appeared in 23 games this season, setting a 9-5-8 record and .919 save percentage – the highest save percentage of any goalie with 20-or-more games in Seattle’s short history. Daccord’s eight extra time losses leads the league, with the goaltender facing an average of 28.5 shots in his overtime outings. His season could easily be leaned in a much more impressive light with a few lucky bounces in extra time, though Daccord doesn’t seemed phased by the poor record – kicking off the new year in style by recording the first shutout in Winter Classic history. The netminder saved all 35 shots that the Vegas Golden Knights sent his way on January 1st, en route to his second shutout of the season and the fifth-most saves he’s had this season.

Seattle has been in need of a true starting goalie after Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger failed to confidently hold onto the role in the chances they were given. They turned to Daccord this summer, signing him to a two-year, $2.4MM contract despite him playing in just 19 NHL games prior to the 2023-24 season. But he’s going above-and-beyond to prove Seattle right for taking a chance on him, establishing himself as not only a starter, but maybe one of the best options in the league on the back of the NHL’s fifth-highest save percentage.

What are the Kraken thankful for?

Low-event hockey.

Daccord has provided a great back-end for Seattle this season but that hasn’t exactly inspired the team to new heights. They still remain in the bottom-five of goals-for this season, and middle-of-the-pack in goals-allowed. The Kraken aren’t favorites to go out and out-skill any given team but they’re starting to find the secret to winning – low-event hockey. The Kraken have done best in games where they aren’t recording a ton of shots, going 7-1-2 over their last 10 games while averaging just 26.2 shots-for. This is pitted against an average of 31.6 shots-against, speaking to the ability of Daccord to hold Seattle in games. It’s been a quality-over-quantity approach, with the Kraken going 10-7-3 in games where they record 30-or-fewer shots, and 4-7-5 in games where they record more than 30 shots. This is regardless of how the opponent performs, with the Kraken going 7-4-4 in games where they’ve faced more than 30 shots.

It’s clear Seattle is at their best when they’re able to slow down the game and take time in creating their chances. They rank in the bottom five of both high-dancer chances-for and against this season, showing how strong they can be when chances are forced to the outside and strikes to the net are few-and-far between. It’s a style done to good effect by smooth puck-mover Vince Dunn, shoot-first forwards like Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen, and Jordan Eberle, and one capped off nicely by strong net-front presences like Matthew Beniers. But the question will inevitably become whether it’s a style that can maintain Seattle through the postseason, or if the team will need to inevitably lean into high-action hockey.

What would the Kraken be even more thankful for?

A top scorer.

The Kraken got off to a bit of a slow start but have since gotten plenty of production from their top end, with 14 different players boasting 10-or-more points. The group is led by Dunn’s 31 points in 38 games, followed by Bjorkstrand and Tolvanen who have 29 points and 23 points in as many games. And while those numbers are certainly admirable, the lack of a true top-scoring forward is holding Seattle back. Jared McCann was able to fill this role last season, netting a 40-goal, 70-point season that deserved more excitement at the time. But he’s lost that spark this year, managing only 14 goals and 22 points in 37 games. That still leads the Kraken lineup in goals, but it hasn’t been enough to revitalize a team that ranked sixth in goals-for last season. The lack of a true top-scorer has also impacted – or maybe it’s the result of – how Seattle is able to roll out their lineup, with head coach Dave Hakstol preferring a roll-four approach with bottom-line players are averaging between 12 and 14 minutes of ice time, while the top line only sees a slight boost to 16 to 18 minutes. That’s certainly different than how a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs have used their bottom line, with their depth averaging closer to seven-to-nine minutes of ice time. The Kraken will need to find a way to either lift up their past top scorers or fold in new ones if they want their offense to start producing enough to start helping Daccord win in extra time.

What should be on the Kraken holiday wish list?

A quiet Pacific Division.

The Kraken enter the new year combatting with the Arizona Coyotes and the Edmonton Oilers for the last Wild Card in the West. Exactly where everyone expected these teams to be at the start of the year, right? And while Seattle is absolutely heating up, they also sit with the most games in the Western Conference, giving them a disadvantage as other teams begin to catch up and paint a clearer picture in the standings. If the Kraken want to keep trained on the postseason, they will need their division to remain quiet for the rest of the season. That means no phenomenal explosion from Connor McDavid as he tries to pull Edmonton back to where they were expected to rank – it means no resurgence from the Calgary Flames as they look to pull themselves up by their bootstraps under a new coach – and it means no more flashy offense from the likes of Vancouver or Los Angeles, two teams performing well above their preseason expectations. Seattle has made their living on calm, low-event hockey this season and, if they want their playoff chances to stay rich, they’ll need to find a way to project that energy onto the rest of their division.

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