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Ottawa Senators Recall Tyler Kleven

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A few moments ago, the Ottawa Senators announced that the team has recalled defenseman Tyler Kleven from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Since the transaction is being registered as an emergency loan, it will not count against the four potential call-ups the Senators have available to them since the trade deadline.

Albeit positive news for Kleven to be back up at the NHL level, it was preluded by some unfortunate news, as top defenseman Thomas Chabot was injured last night in the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, necessitating the transaction. It is unclear how long Chabot will be out with this specific injury, but it has certainly been a theme this season for one of Ottawa’s best players.

Because of these injuries, Chabot has only played in a total of 44 out of a possible 71 games for the Senators this year, projected to be his lowest total since the 2020-21 NHL shortened season. When healthy, Chabot has still been heavily relied upon by Ottawa, scoring eight goals and 28 points while averaging 23:31 of ice time per game.

Kleven, on the other hand, is not as heavily utilized by the Senators, as he’s only suited up in five games at the NHL level this season. In those five contests, the former 44th overall pick has registered only one assist while averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per game.

At the AHL level, Kleven has shown flashes of being a quality shutdown defenseman in professional hockey, scoring three goals and 17 points in 45 games for Belleville, while also registering a +13 rating. While still carrying six healthy defensemen on the NHL roster, it remains to be seen if Kleven will suit up in the team’s game tonight.

Snapshots: Marner, Samsonov, Rielly, Rousek, Quinn

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Star Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner won’t make his return for at least two more games, per The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (Twitter link). That would bring Marner up to 10 games missed with a high ankle sprain. His return is gaining anticipation with each absence, with Marner again serving as one of Toronto’s premier talents. He’s scored 25 goals and 76 points in just 62 games this season – a 100-point scoring pace across 82 games. He’ll try to chase the 90-point mark for the third straight season when he returns, though he may find himself short a few minutes on account of Max Domi. Domi has scored one goal and nine points in eight games while serving in Marner’s top-six role, including a four-assist night on March 20th. But even with Domi’s help, Toronto is undoubtedly missing Marner – going 4-3-1 in his absence, after a 19-3-6 hot streak.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Toronto goaltender Ilya Samsonov feels ready to return after missing the team’s last two games with a calf contusion, per TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). Martin Jones has returned to a backup role in Samsonov’s absence, though his only appearance has been the three minutes he filled for Samsonov in the team’s Saturday game. Joseph Woll has continued to carry the starter role, though he’s lost both games that Samsonov has missed.
  • But while Toronto is expecting Samsonov back, they could still be without defenseman Morgan Rielly, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox (Twitter link). Rielly is facing an upper-body injury that also held him out of the team’s Tuesday night game. He’s been an impactful defender when active – managing seven goals and 51 points in 65 games this season. He’ll likely bump either Simon Benoit or Ilya Lyubushkin out of the lineup when he returns.
  • Buffalo Sabres forward Lukas Rousek is expected to miss a couple of days with an upper-body injury, after taking a stick in the face from practice, per Bleacher Report’s Joe Yerdon (Twitter link). Rousek’s role will be filled by Jack Quinn, who is making his return from a lower-body injury that required surgery in January. Quinn has only played in 17 games this season – though he’s been impactful, scoring five goals and 12 points.

West Notes: McGinn, Grundström, Krug, Joshua

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The Anaheim Ducks have announced that forward Brock McGinn has undergone successful back surgery, focused on his intervertebral discs (Twitter link). This operation is expected to hold McGinn out for four months, ending his season early. McGinn has been on injured reserve since February 17th and absent from Anaheim’s lineup since January 25th.

This news marks the final blow in what was a difficult season for McGinn – who suffered a significant lower-body injury just days before Anaheim’s first game of the season that held him out for a month. That injury, as well as a brief departure for the birth of his first child in late December, held McGinn to just 24 appearances in the first half of the season. Those games will now stand as his only this year, marking the least he’s played since turning pro in the 2014-15 season. McGinn managed one goal, three points, four penalty minutes, and a -5 this year while averaging roughly 11 minutes of ice time. Anaheim has utilized a variety of talents in his place – with the Ducks debut of Ben Meyers, the return of Trevor Zegras from injury, and bottom-six stalwarts like Ross Johnston and Benoit-Olivier Groulx working to fill open minutes. McGinn will look to rejoin the bottom-six mix next season, with one year remaining on his contract.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Gritty forward Carl Grundström is progressing from injury, joining the Los Angeles Kings on their three-game road trip through Western Canada, per The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (Twitter link). Grundström has been out since February 13th with a lower-body injury that’s earned him a place on long-term injured reserve. He’s managed eight goals and 12 points in 50 games this season. Stephens adds that Grundström is still wearing a no-contact jersey at practice – but his attendance on the trip is nonetheless encouraging progress towards his return from a 21-game absence.
  • Defenseman Torey Krug could be held out of the St. Louis Blues’ lineup on Thursday with the flu, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link). Blues head coach Drew Bannister shared that he’s hopeful Krug will be good to go but designated him as questionable. Krug played in the first 69 games of St. Louis’ season but recently missed his first game of the year with a lower-body injury. He’s been a pivotal piece of St. Louis’ lineup when healthy, managing 34 points and 30 penalty minutes in 71 games. The Blues will hope he’s feeling better come tomorrow, as they gear up for a fight with the Calgary Flames.
  • The Vancouver Canucks upgraded forward Dakota Joshua to full-contact at their Wednesday-morning practice (Twitter link). Joshua has been out since February 13th, suffering an undisclosed injury in the midst of a three-point night. He’s flirted with a return many times since, but ultimately landed on Vancouver’s long-term injured reserve. While no official designation was provided, Joshua could have a chance to return as soon as Thursday, when the Canucks take on the Dallas Stars.

Capitals Recall Vincent Iorio, Matthew Phillips

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The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Vincent Iorio to the NHL roster (Twitter link). This move brings Phillips back to the NHL after being sent down earlier in the week and marks the second call-up of Iorio’s career.

Iorio’s first call-up came in March of last season and awarded him with the first three NHL games of his career. He managed one assist in those appearances while averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time. He’s yet to fight his way back into the Capitals lineup, instead spending all of this season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears – scoring four goals, 14 points, and 30 penalty minutes in 60 appearances, a step down from his 22 points in 63 games as an AHL rookie last year.

But he’ll be leaned on once again, with fellow defenseman Ethan Bear out indefinitely after entering the NHL Player Assistance Program. Bear was serving as Washington’s seventh defenseman and hadn’t played since March 13th. Iorio will step into that depth role, looking to compete with Alexander Alexeyev for a spot on the team’s lineup.

Phillips’ recall could be an indication of Sonny Milano’s availability. Milano is working his way back from an upper-body injury suffered in Washington’s Sunday win over the Winnipeg Jets. He missed the team’s Tuesday night game but has continued appearing at the team’s practices, including taking the ice during their off-day this morning. Washington will test Milano’s readiness ahead of their Thursday matchup against Toronto, with Phillips as their fill-in if he can’t go.

Ethan Bear Enters NHL Player Assistance Program, Out Indefinitely

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The NHL has announced that Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear will be out indefinitely while receiving care from the NHL Player Assistance Program (Twitter link). He’s scored four points in 24 games since making his season debut in late December.

Bear’s season kicked off late, with a shoulder injury suffered during the 2023 IIHF World Championship lingering through the first half of the year. He became a free agent after his surgery – after the Vancouver Canucks went chose not to extend a qualifying offer – and he held off negotiations on a new deal until December. There were reportedly plenty of teams in the mix on Bear, including Vancouver. But he ultimately decided on Washington, moving to his fourth team in the last three years with a two-year, $4.125MM contract. He made his season debut on December 31st and scored his first goal (and so far, his only goal) of the year nine games later.

This year is Bear’s fifth season in a full-time NHL role, following his rookie season in 2019-20 when he scored 21 points in 71 games. That has stood as his career-high in scoring, though he came within a few points when he scored 16 in 61 games last year. Bear has established himself as a solid bottom-four option at the NHL level, averaging 18-and-a-half minutes of ice time through 275 career games. Alexander Alexeyev has gained a bigger role in his absence, recording one goal and three points through 28 games this season.

Kraken Sign Forward Lleyton Roed

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The Seattle Kraken have joined in on the NCAA free agent market, signing forward Lleyton Roed out of Bemidji State University. The team has confirmed the deal as a two-year, entry-level contract with a $950K average-annual value (Twitter link – corrected to a two-year deal by CapFriendly). The deal was first reported by FloHockey’s Chris Peters.

Roed is turning pro after his sophomore season with Bemidji. He’s been the team’s top scorer in both seasons, totaling 61 points across 74 appearances. In fact, his career 0.82 points per game marks the highest rate a Bemidji player has scored since Owen Sillinger in 2022 – and Matt Read in 2011 before him.

Roed, 21, joined Bemidji after just one season in juniors hockey, scoring 41 points in 60 games with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. He’d otherwise primarily played in Minnesota high school hockey and went undrafted through his eligibility in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 drafts. He moved to college in the subsequent season and has been performing well ever since, flaunting fantastic play when the puck is on his stick. Roed has great agility and is able to control the puck and his skating to work out of awkward positions and find his teammates. It makes him a great set-up man, though his eye for plays often lands him in a scoring position as well. While his game could afford more explosivity off of the puck, Roed has adapted well to the harder-hitting and defensive-minded NCAA. That could help him a lot as he now moves to the AHL, though he’ll still need to adjust to the pace of a pro game.

Avalanche Notes: Nichushkin, Girard, Kiviranta

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The Avalanche have listed winger Valeri Nichushkin as questionable for Thursday’s game against the Rangers, head coach Jared Bednar said (via Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports). It’s a lower-body injury that’s not anything long-term but “could possibly keep him out,” said Bednar. Nichushkin has missed extensive time this season, but not due to injury. He missed a splattering of games with illness before missing 21 games while in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program from mid-January to earlier this month. It hasn’t impacted his performance when healthy, as he’s passed the point-per-game threshold for the first time in his career. He’s posted a career-high 26 goals, 24 assists and 50 points in 48 games while averaging 21:36 per game, another career-high for the two-way dynamo.

Other updates from Denver:

  • Nichushkin may not be the only minutes-munching skater out of the lineup tomorrow. The Avs could also be without blue-liner Samuel Girard, who missed today’s practice with an illness and is accordingly questionable against the Blueshirts, per Brennan Vogt of The Rink Colorado. The 25-year-old has only 18 points in 51 games, his worst offensive showing in quite some time. He’s made up for it with some improved defensive and possession play after an iffy few seasons, rebounding for a 55.1 CF% at even strength and +6.2 expected rating, his best numbers in three years despite seeing the most defensive-zone usage of his career. Joel Kiviranta and Caleb Jones would draw into the lineup if both Nichushkin and Girard are unavailable…
  • …except Kiviranta is dealing with an illness of his own, per Vogt, which may prompt the Avs to recall a forward from AHL Colorado before tomorrow’s contest. They’d be eligible to do so under emergency conditions, as Kiviranta is the only extra forward available on the roster and they’d only be able to dress 11 if he and Nichushkin are sidelined. After beginning the season on a minor-league deal after attending Avs camp on a PTO, the depth winger has three goals and nine points in 52 games while averaging 9:56 per game.

Panthers Reassign Uvis Balinskis

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The Panthers have assigned defenseman Uvis Balinskis to AHL Charlotte, per a team announcement. He’ll head back to the minors after being recalled last week for the first time since signing a two-year extension in January. Florida’s roster size drops to 25.

Balinskis, 27, is in his first NHL season after inking an entry-level contract with the Cats last summer. The Latvian blue-liner was coming off a breakout season in the Czech Extraliga, where he was named the league’s best defenseman after leading the league with 11 goals and 35 points in 50 games as a member of Bílí Tygři Liberec. He’s been a fixture of the Latvian national team since making his debut at the 2017 World Championship and was a member of last year’s bronze-medal winning squad at the tournament.

With stars Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour unavailable for the start of 2023-24 due to off-season shoulder surgeries, Balinskis got a look on the opening night roster and was a serviceable depth option. After posting a goal and an assist through his first 16 games, he was assigned to Charlotte shortly after Montour was cleared to return. He was recalled again a few weeks into December but only played three games, going without a point and averaging 12:34 per game before being returned to the minors. On this month’s recall, he added an assist in four games and played a season-high 20:19 in Saturday’s shootout loss to the Rangers.

Balinskis’ strong play in the minors, despite being yo-yoed up and down, has given the Panthers’ front office confidence in his abilities to contribute during their current window of championship contention, and rightfully so. His 21 points in 35 games with Charlotte is second in scoring among the team’s defenders behind star minor-league blue-liner Lucas Carlsson, who hasn’t played in nearly a month and is out for the season due to injury.

His reassignment could indicate that Ekblad, who’s been out since March 9 with a lower-body injury, is nearing a return. He was ruled out for at least two weeks after the injury, and with that benchmark passed, head coach Paul Maurice has signaled in recent days that the star blue-liner is feeling better. He’s unlikely for Thursday’s game against the Islanders but could be ready to go for Saturday’s matinee against the Red Wings.

Oskar Sundqvist To Undergo Knee Surgery, Out Six Months

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Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee in Monday’s game against the Golden Knights, the team announced. The tear requires surgery, which carries a minimum recovery time of six months.

If his recovery timetable holds, Sundqvist won’t be ready when training camps begin ahead of the 2024-25 season in September. However, he hasn’t been ruled out for the beginning of the regular season.

Sundqvist sustained the injury midway through the second period of the eventual 2-1 overtime loss. After he cycled the puck behind the goal line in the Vegas zone, Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb attempted to cross-check him into the boards but approached Sundqvist at an indirect angle that caused both players to fall awkwardly. Sundqvist’s right leg buckled during the fall, and he could not get up without assistance from Blues Head Athletic Trainer Ray Barile. Officials did not assess McNabb a penalty on the play.

The 30-year-old had a middling season after returning to the Blues in free agency for his second stint with the club. He appeared in 71 of St. Louis’ 72 games, posting six goals, 15 assists, and 21 points while averaging 13:15 per game. It was his worst offensive showing on a per-game basis since 2017-18. After breaking into an everyday top-nine role the following season, Sundqvist recorded 48 goals, 66 assists and 114 points in 285 games for the Blues, Red Wings and Wild from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

He was never a particularly strong possession player at even strength but often did good work on the penalty kill for the Blues, whose 80.9% success rate with the man disadvantage was 10th in the league, with Sundqvist averaging regular minutes there across four seasons. A fan favorite who posted nine points in 25 playoff games en route to St. Louis’ first Stanley Cup in 2019, the Blues traded Sundqvist to the Red Wings at the 2022 deadline as part of the package that landed them defenseman Nick Leddy. He was traded again at last season’s deadline as a pending UFA with Detroit out of the playoff picture, heading to Minnesota for a fourth-round pick.

Despite Sundqvist’s decline in both the points and possession departments this season, Blues GM Doug Armstrong decided earlier this month that he wanted to keep him around through their pending retool, inking him to a two-year, $3MM extension. The Blues hope he can recover from surgery in time to start that $1.5MM AAV deal off on a high note next fall. He’ll be a UFA in 2026 after the extension expires.

Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains

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The Canucks recalled winger Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford on Wednesday, GM Patrik Allvin said. To create the cap space required to add Bains’ $816.7K cap hit, the team moved goaltender Thatcher Demko to long-term injured reserve, retroactive to when he sustained a knee injury against the Jets on March 9. Bains’ recall is an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, suggesting another forward aside from Elias Lindholm (undisclosed, day-to-day) may be absent for Thursday’s game against the Stars.

This is Bains’ second recall of the season. The 23-year-old was first summoned in mid-February and made his NHL debut in Colorado three days later. He made another four appearances but was held without a point and managed only three shots on goal while averaging 12:57 per game. Bains was then returned to Abbotsford on March 1, one week before the trade deadline.

An undrafted free agent pickup out of WHL Red Deer in 2022, Bains’ signing is looking like one of Allvin’s shrewder moves at the helm of the Canucks. The Surrey, British Columbia native adjusted well to the pros, putting up 38 points in 66 games in a middle-six role after leading the WHL in scoring during his overage season. Bains has taken things up a notch this year, breaking out as a first-line talent with Abbotsford and leading the team with 35 assists and 49 points in 53 games.

Bains didn’t look entirely out of place under the eye test in his call-up last month, but the stats weren’t kind. He was used in a checking role by head coach Rick Tocchet and struggled to control shot attempts, logging a 45.5 CF% at even strength that was a staggering 13.9% worse than the Canucks’ overall CF% when Bains was off the ice over his five-game stint. Keeping his head above water in terms of possession quality was even more of a struggle, logging a 33.3 xGF%.

Nonetheless, he’ll get a second chance to inject some energy into their bottom six. He was quite good in the minors after being returned to Abbotsford a few weeks ago, scoring five goals and adding five assists for 10 points in 11 games. He still has another season left on his entry-level contract and remains waiver-exempt.

As for Demko, the LTIR placement indicates the star starter will be out until at least April 6 against the Kings, meaning he’ll miss at least Vancouver’s next four games. The likely Vezina Trophy candidate remains out on a week-to-week basis but is expected back before the end of the regular season. Casey DeSmith has been the Canucks’ crease’s sole occupant since Demko got hurt, posting a 3-2-1 record and .903 SV% since replacing him against the Jets.

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