Archives for January 2024

Central Notes: Scandella, Wild Injuries, Savoie, Kaiser

January 27, 2024 at 5:11 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Blues are one of the teams that are still in the mix for a Wild Card spot but even if they fall out of the race, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic wonders (subscription link) if it could be a quiet deadline as a seller. Their most prominent rentals up front are the struggling Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrana, who is currently playing in the minors; neither would likely have much of a market. However, Rutherford suggests that blueliner Marco Scandella could be the likeliest player to garner attention around the league if he isn’t signed to an extension first. The 33-year-old has had a very limited role this season but can still kill penalties and is the type of depth player that playoff teams will often look to add for injury insurance purposes. That said, at $3.275MM, St. Louis would certainly have to pay half of that to facilitate any sort of move while an extension, if one was to be reached, should check in closer to the $1MM mark.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

Wild winger Vinni Lettieri is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Anaheim, relays John Shipley of the Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old has been out since late December with a lower-body injury after seeing some consistent minutes as he had played in 19 games on recall. Meanwhile, Shipley adds that winger Adam Raska skated before practice Friday. He was injured last weekend; head coach John Hynes suggested the injury isn’t a significant one and is more soreness-based. The 22-year-old was acquired in November from San Jose and has played in five games since being recalled earlier this month.
The Blackhawks activated prospect Samuel Savoie off season-opening IR and assigned him to QMJHL Rouyn-Noranda, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The 19-year-old recorded just shy of a point per game with the Huskies last season, notching 59 in 60 appearances, helping him earn his entry-level contract in July. However, he was injured in a preseason game and underwent femur surgery, keeping him unavailable to play until now. This should be Savoie’s final junior season as he’ll be AHL-eligible in the fall.
Still with the Blackhawks, blueliner Wyatt Kaiser has been placed in concussion protocol, per an announcement from AHL Rockford (Twitter link). The 21-year-old has split the season between Chicago and the IceHogs but any potential recall is out of the question for the time being now. Kaiser has played in 23 games with the Blackhawks, picking up four assists while logging nearly 17 minutes a night. With Rockford, his numbers have been similar, notching a goal and two helpers in 15 contests.

Jacob Trouba Receives Two-Game Suspension

January 27, 2024 at 3:46 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the Rangers playing tonight, the Department of Player Safety needed to make a quick ruling following their disciplinary hearing with defenseman Jacob Trouba today. That ruling has now been made as the league announced that the blueliner has been suspended for two games for his elbow on Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev. The incident occurred late in the second period and no penalty was called on the play.

In the video announcing the suspension, the league acknowledged that elbows can be raised as part of a natural motion when skating, stopping, or making a play on the puck. However, with the incident occurring off a faceoff, Trouba was deemed to not be making a play on the puck while his elbowing motion was not viewed as a natural motion while skating.

This is Trouba’s second career suspension while he has also been fined twice; that history was noted in the disciplinary video. He will miss tonight’s game against Ottawa as well as their first game back after the break on February 5th versus Colorado. Trouba will be eligible to return on February 7th against Tampa Bay. Based on his AAV, he will forfeit a little over $83K in salary; that money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Rangers Recall Connor Mackey

January 27, 2024 at 3:34 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the availability of two blueliners in question for tonight’s game against Ottawa, the Rangers have brought up some insurance, announcing (Twitter link) the recall of defenseman Connor Mackey from AHL Hartford. New York had an open roster spot following yesterday’s assignment of Nick Bonino to the Wolf Pack.

The 27-year-old is in his first season with the Rangers after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them in free agency back in July. While this marks his seventh recall of the year already, Mackey has yet to get into an NHL game. Instead, he has only played in Hartford where he has been quieter than expected offensively with just eight points in 28 games. By comparison, Mackey had 36 points in 53 games with AHL Stockton in 2021-22 while he was on an NHL roster full-time last year.

The two defenders whose availability is in question are defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba. Lindgren left last night’s loss to Vegas early with an upper-body injury while Trouba had a disciplinary hearing today, the outcome of which has not yet been announced. If those two aren’t available, Mackey should see his first NHL action of the season.

Kings Recall Alex Turcotte

January 27, 2024 at 3:11 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

With the Kings struggling as of late, they’ve decided to give a different youngster an opportunity. The team announced that they’ve recalled center Alex Turcotte from AHL Ontario. They had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.

The 22-year-old was the fifth-overall pick back in 2018 after a strong showing in the U.S. National Team Development Program but has struggled to live up to that draft billing so far. Turcotte has played just a dozen NHL games so far – eight in 2021-22 and four in 2022-23 – and is still looking for his first point. This marks his second recall of the season, the first of which just lasted one day. This one could last longer as Los Angeles is one of the few teams that will be playing right up to the All-Star break and will get their bye week after.

Turcotte has shown some improvement with the Reign this season, posting career-bests in goals (seven), assists (16), and points (23) in 28 games, good for fifth in team scoring so this is a merited opportunity.

This is Turcotte’s final season of waiver exemption which is something worth keeping an eye on. It’s not a bad idea to give Turcotte a few games to get a better idea as to if he’s going to figure into their plans for 2024-25. If he doesn’t show well, perhaps he becomes a candidate to be moved before the March 8th trade deadline if a selling team wants someone closer to being NHL-ready over a draft pick that will still be a few years away.

Trade Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks

January 27, 2024 at 2:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We start our look around the league with the Anaheim Ducks.

At this point of the season, there aren’t many teams that are going to be sure-fire sellers. The Ducks are one of the exceptions. GM Pat Verbeek’s squad is right in the heart of a full rebuild and after a surprisingly good start, they’ve fallen off as of late and are well out of the playoff picture. Of course, they at least have some strong core pieces to build around and while they likely won’t be able to add any of those in the coming weeks, they should be able to add to their prospect cupboard and pick up an extra draft pick or two.

Record

16-30-2, 7th in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$35.446MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, BOS 2nd, ANA 3rd, PIT 3rd, SJ 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th
2025: ANA 1st, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th

Trade Chips

The likeliest Duck to move is Adam Henrique. It wouldn’t have been surprising to see him be dealt last season but an injury put an end to that fairly quickly. The 33-year-old is believed to be drawing strong interest already, understandably so in a center market that isn’t particularly deep at the moment. Henrique has been one of the top scorers for Anaheim this season with 15 goals and 15 assists in 45 games while being an all-situations player who also is winning over 53% of his faceoffs. This is the type of player who ticks off a lot of boxes for what a contender is typically looking to add at this time of season. At $5.825MM, the cap hit is going to be somewhat prohibitive, even with 50% retention so some creativity might be needed but there will be a strong market for the veteran that should net Verbeek a solid return.

When Frank Vatrano signed a three-year, $10.95MM contract with Anaheim back in 2022, it raised some eyebrows as he had only reached the 20-goal mark once. However, it proved to be a worthwhile move as he had a career year last season and should beat those numbers in the coming weeks to set new benchmarks. His value might not get any higher while whoever gets Vatrano would also have him for next year so if the opportunity is there to cash in, Verbeek could look to take it. Trevor Zegras was in trade speculation before he broke his ankle and while a move could be the eventual outcome, it feels like that might be more of a summer swap over trying to move him as he’s just coming back.

One possible under-the-radar candidate to move could be Isac Lundestrom. The center just came back from a torn Achilles tendon and has been quiet, producing at a similar level to last year, one that was a big step back. With Anaheim’s depth down the middle and a $1.8MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights looming, it’s fair to wonder if the Ducks might consider going in a different direction. If that happens, he could be moved for another young player in a change of scenery type of move.

On the back end, Ilya Lyubushkin might be the only one to move (with Jamie Drysdale having already been dealt). The 29-year-old was added as a rental player two years ago by Toronto and fit in well on their third pairing and it’s fair to think teams will be looking to add some grit once more. The return might not be the highest as he’s on an above-market deal but they should be able to pick up a draft pick and perhaps even beat the fourth-rounder they gave up to get him.

Then there’s John Gibson. The netminder has been in trade speculation going back a few years now and frankly, until one happens, he’s going to likely continue to be in that speculation moving forward. The 30-year-old has shaved nearly a full goal off his GAA this season while a .900 SV% on a rebuilding squad isn’t bad the way that stat is trending. However, a $6.4MM cap hit through 2026-27 will be an issue. Sure, the Ducks can retain 50% but in terms of real money, that’s more than $10MM in salary they’d owe to someone not playing for them. How much is that worth in a return? Couple that with a goalie market that has teams mostly bargain-hunting and it would be a bit of a surprise if a deal gets done although teams will certainly call.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Sam Carrick, F Jakob Silfverberg (a $5.25MM AAV will limit his market though), G Alex Stalock

Team Needs

1) Young Wingers: With Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Zegras in the mix, Anaheim is set down the middle for a while. They have a young core group of defensemen and while odds are all won’t pan out, they should have a good core group. On the wing, however, it’s a bit thinner, even with the Cutter Gauthier acquisition. If there’s an opportunity to get a young winger in any of these moves, it would certainly help to shore up that portion of the prospect pool.

2) Draft Picks: While Anaheim has ten picks so far this season, they only have six for 2025 and between the two years, they don’t have any extras in the first or second round. Some rebuilding squads have a multi-year surplus of selections and the Ducks aren’t there yet. They can at least take a step in that direction before March 8th.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On IR, Recall Nick Blankenburg

January 27, 2024 at 1:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

The Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Vancouver. The team announced that they have placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve with an upper-body injury; taking his place on the roster is Nick Blankenburg who has been recalled from AHL Cleveland.

Boqvist was injured in Thursday’s victory over Calgary when he took a puck to the face on the bench. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner lost teeth and something worse as a result. Boqvist is in the middle of a rough season as injuries and scratches have limited him to just 20 games where he has seven assists. Last season, the 23-year-old looked to turn the corner offensively with 24 points in 46 contests but he just hasn’t been able to get back to that type of performance this year. There’s no word on how long Boqvist will be out with the team simply saying that he’s out through the All-Star break.

Blankenburg, meanwhile, was a full-timer on the roster for Columbus last season though he missed time due to injury. This year, however, he has primarily played in the minors, suiting up in 19 games for the Monsters where he has three goals and nine assists. The 25-year-old has played in six games with the Blue Jackets, averaging nearly 18 minutes a night. This is his final season of waiver exemption.

Columbus recently sent David Jiricek back to Cleveland so it might be a bit surprising that he didn’t get the promotion to return. However, with Jiricek’s ice time being limited lately, it might be more beneficial to have an extended stretch with the Monsters where he’ll get big minutes consistently over being sent back and forth as injuries come and go.

Injury Updates: Jarnkrok, Islanders, Red Wings, Amadio

January 27, 2024 at 1:16 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

The Maple Leafs will be without Calle Jarnkrok for the foreseeable future as David Alter of The Hockey News mentions that the winger will be out week-to-week with a fractured knuckle. The injury was sustained in practice on Friday. Jarnkrok has been a valuable and versatile middle-six player this season, playing in a variety of roles while chipping in with ten goals and nine assists through 46 games. Tyler Bertuzzi returns to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game due to the birth of his child while Ryan Reaves will play his first game in six weeks, replacing the injured Bobby McMann.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). He took an elbow to the head from Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher on Thursday, a hit that landed Gallagher a five-game suspension. Injuries have limited the 29-year-old to just 29 of 48 games this season, where he has four assists and 42 blocked shots while logging over 19 minutes a night. Gross adds that winger Hudson Fasching is also listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old also left Thursday’s game early after less than three minutes of ice time. After collecting 19 points in 49 games last season, Fasching hasn’t been able to put up similar numbers so far, notching just three goals and five helpers in 35 games.
Ben Chiarot’s upper-body injury will hold him out of Detroit’s lineup through the All-Star break, notes 97.1 The Ticket’s Daniella Bruce (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury. He’s in his second season with the Red Wings and has a dozen points in 45 games so far along with 93 blocks and 84 hits. Meanwhile, Bruce adds that winger Patrick Kane could still suit up before the break against Ottawa on Wednesday. Kane has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury and has been a nice addition to Detroit’s lineup, collecting 16 points in his first 19 games.
Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated that winger Michael Amadio has been cleared to return tonight against Detroit. The 27-year-old has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury. Amadio has been one of the better waiver claims in recent years, becoming a capable depth producer for Vegas, notching 33 goals in 162 games; he has 17 points in 42 games so far this season.

A.J. Greer Out Eight Weeks With Foot Fracture

January 27, 2024 at 12:17 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Flames got some bad news on the injury front on Saturday. While they were hopeful that winger A.J. Greer avoided a fracture on his foot, that wasn’t the case as the team announced (Twitter link) that he will miss the next eight weeks due to a foot fracture.

The 27-year-old is in his first year with Calgary after being claimed off waivers late in training camp from Boston. Since then, Greer has been a regular on the fourth line for the Flames, playing in 47 of 48 games, picking up six goals and four assists while chipping in with 77 hits despite averaging less than nine minutes a night of ice time.

Notably, Calgary hasn’t brought anyone up from the AHL’s Wranglers despite Blake Coleman also being banged up. Instead, Coleman will play through his hand injury per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link), giving them 12 available forwards against Chicago.

Winger Martin Pospisil took part in the morning skate, giving hope that he’d return but they’ll give him the extra rest instead. The 24-year-old has held his own in his first taste of NHL action, collecting four goals and seven assists in 33 games. He has been out a little more than a week due to his lower-body injury.

Once Pospisil is officially activated after the break, Calgary’s roster will be at 23 skaters although Greer can easily be shifted onto injured reserve. Considering their tight cap situation, there’s a good chance that Greer will eventually land on LTIR although with a cap hit of just $762.5K, the extra flexibility they’d gain from that would be quite limited but it would be enough to get a recall up from the Wranglers if needed.

Senators Notes: Kubalik, Brannstrom, Kastelic, Kaliyev

January 27, 2024 at 11:06 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With Ottawa’s cap challenge dating back to the preseason, winger Dominik Kubalik’s presence on the roster has always felt a little tenuous. Acquired in the move that sent Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, the 28-year-old’s inclusion seemed more for contract-matching purposes than filling a specific void in the lineup. To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Senators have been trying to move Kubalik for the past two months but have yet to find a taker. Kubalik has nine goals and three assists in 41 games so far and is on an expiring contract that carries a $2.5MM cap charge. When Anton Forsberg is ready to return from his injury, the Sens will be in a cap crunch so it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Steve Staios redouble his efforts to clear Kubalik’s contract from their books.

Bruins Recall Patrick Brown

January 27, 2024 at 10:02 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Bruins play their final game before their bye week and the All-Star break today and they have opted to bring up an extra forward for that contest as they announced that they’ve recalled Patrick Brown from AHL Providence.

The 31-year-old is in his first season with Boston after inking a two-year, $1.6MM contract with them on the opening day of free agency back in July. He was expected to land a spot on their fourth line but things didn’t exactly go as planned. Instead, he didn’t make the team out of training camp and cleared waivers. He cleared them a second time as well back in mid-November.

This is Brown’s sixth recall of the season and he has played in ten games so far with Boston, collecting one assist while logging just 8:29 per night. He also has suited up in 15 games with Providence where he has been much more effective, notching 11 points in 15 contests.

The Bruins had an open roster spot so they didn’t need to make a corresponding move to bring him up. With Jakub Lauko missing last game with an undisclosed injury and Jake DeBrusk and Matthew Poitras out being banged up, Brown should suit up this afternoon against the Flyers. That said, with the long break approaching, there’s a good chance he’ll be sent back down to the minors on Sunday.

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