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Archives for November 2024

Maple Leafs Assign Dakota Mermis To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that they’ve assigned defenseman Dakota Mermis to AHL Toronto on an LTIR conditioning loan.

Mermis, 30, played some preseason hockey for Toronto but broke his jaw and underwent surgery on Sep. 26. The Maple Leafs placed him on long-term injured reserve when season-opening rosters were due on Oct. 7, and he’s remained there since. He’s recently ramped up his on-ice appearances and has been skating for over a week.

On his conditioning loan, the depth defenseman can stay in the minors for up to three games or six days. However, the Leafs can apply for an extension from the league to extend that stay before he must be activated from LTIR or remain on the list if he’s not ready to return to play.

If Mermis is ready to go when his conditioning loan ends, he’ll likely hit waivers en route to a lengthier assignment to the AHL. The Maple Leafs already carry eight defensemen on the active roster and certainly don’t have the room or flexibility for a ninth with a rash of injuries at forward.

Mermis signed a one-year, one-way league minimum deal with the Leafs over the summer in free agency after playing a career-high 47 games with the Wild last season. A long-time top-four AHL fixture capable of playing depth NHL minutes, the Illinois native posted three goals and five assists for eight points with a -2 rating, 33 PIMs, 59 blocks, and 45 hits while averaging 14:05 per game for Minnesota.

An undrafted free agent signing from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals by the Coyotes in 2015, Mermis now has 431 AHL games and 74 NHL games under his belt across a nine-year professional career. The 6’0″, 194-lb lefty could undoubtedly generate some interest on the waiver wire in the coming weeks as a physical bottom-pairing or press-box option on a cheap contract.

Evening Notes: Ristolainen, Broberg, Penguins

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TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defender Rasmus Ristolainen is drawing a lot of interest on the NHL trade market. The 30-year-old defenseman is his fourth year with the Flyers and has two years left on his contract after this season with a cap hit of $5.1MM. Ristolainen has been playing in Philadelphia’s top four and averaging over 20 minutes a game this season, but he is likely best suited as a bottom-pairing defenseman, which isn’t ideal given his cap number.

Ristolainen hasn’t produced much offense this season with just a goal and four assists in 22 games, and his underlying numbers leave a lot to be desired. Philadelphia has controlled just 43.8% of the even-strength expected goals with Ristolainen on the ice according to Natural Stat Trick and controlled possession just 45.1% of the time (as per Hockey Reference).

In other evening notes:

  • Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg skated with the team today but is not yet ready to return to the lineup tomorrow when they take on the New Jersey Devils. Broberg was initially given a four to six-week timeline to return from his knee injury and likely won’t return to the lineup until the weekend at the earliest. The 23-year-old is in his first season with the Blues and has been very good offensively this season, posting two goals and seven assists in 12 games.
  • Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins are active in the trade market, looking for younger players who can slide into their lineup this season as well as for the long term. The Penguins have made two trades in recent weeks, one to move out 35-year-old Lars Eller, and another to bring in 23-year-old Philip Tomasino. The Penguins are in a tough spot as they can’t bottom out and go into a full rebuild with Sidney Crosby still playing at a high level, but they also don’t want to mortgage the future for a short-term fix. General manager Kyle Dubas has made several moves for former first-round picks who haven’t panned out with their previous teams, including Tamasino, Cody Glass and Jesse Puljujärvi.

East Notes: Matheson, Gadjovich, Flyers

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The Montreal Canadiens announced a last-minute scratch tonight as defenseman Mike Matheson was held out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The news came out just before the puck drop against Utah, Jayden Struble suited up in his place. Matheson skated with the Canadiens earlier in the day during the team’s morning skate but did miss practice yesterday.

Matheson’s absence will leave a hole in Montreal’s defense, particularly their power play where Matheson is typically the only defenseman on their top unit. The 30-year-old is currently averaging over 24 minutes a night in ice time and is third in team scoring with a goal and 12 assists in 20 games this season. Matheson had a career year last season, tallying 11 goals and 51 assists while dressing in all 82 games for Montreal.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich was dressed in a regular practice jersey today as he skated with his teammates (as per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post). The 26-year-old did not play last night against the Washington Capitals due to an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Gadjovich has just a single goal this season and has only played 11 games due to a back injury that kept him sidelined for eight games in late October and early November. When the Whitby, Ontario native has dressed he’s played sparingly, averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers remain on the hunt for a top-six center (as per Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff). Philadelphia reportedly spoke with the Minnesota Wild earlier in the season about a potential swap, but nothing came from the talks, likely due to the Wild’s tough salary cap situation. The Flyers aren’t in a rush to make a move, which makes sense given the team’s timeline, however, they do have assets to make a move including draft capital as well as potentially using 2018 first-round pick Joel Farabee or Morgan Frost as potential trade pieces in a package.

Metro Notes: Kochetkov, Stillman, Sillinger

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Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is out day-to-day (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet) . The 25-year-old will not play tomorrow night against the New York Rangers but could play this weekend depending on his status. Kochetkov suffered a concussion on Saturday night after he collided with teammate Sean Walker and entered concussion protocol yesterday.  Hurricanes’ head coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t have a timeline as of yesterday, noting that concussion recovery is hard to predict.

Kochetkov has been solid this season for Carolina, posting a 10-2-0 record with a 2.42 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. His underlying numbers have been terrific in 13 games, with a goals saved above expected of 3.9 (as per MoneyPuck).

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Riley Stillman from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (Twitter link). The 26-year-old hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since the 2022-23 season and will likely be Carolina’s seventh defenseman tomorrow night when they take on the Rangers. Stillman spent all of last season in the AHL with the Rochester Americans and has suited up in four games this year, tallying a single assist. Stillman has played parts of five seasons in the NHL, registering four goals and 22 assists in 158 games.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger will miss tomorrow night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury. Sillinger took a skate to the head halfway through Columbus’ victory over Carolina on Saturday night, but the Blue Jackets haven’t officially stated the reason for Sillinger’s absence. His loss will be a big one for the team as the 21-year-old is fifth in team scoring with three goals and nine assists in 20 games. He also plays on both the power play and the penalty kill, which will leave Columbus shorthanded on both sides of their specialty teams.

Leafs Notes: Matthews, Knies, Domi, Kampf

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The Toronto Maple Leafs received a string of injury updates at practice today, kicked off by captain Auston Matthews taking the ice for his first team skate since November 3rd. Matthews has missed Toronto’s last eight games with an upper-body injury. He returned to the ice on Saturday, working on individual drills after arriving back from a trip to see a specialist in Germany. But despite the return to full practice, Matthews said he’s uncertain if he’ll play on Wednesday, adding that he may need a couple more practices before he feels ready per TSN Sports. The Leafs begin a two-game road trip to Florida tomorrow that will take them through the end of the week.

It goes without saying that Matthews’ return is hotly anticipated. He has a modest 11 points in 13 games this season, but had a career year in 2023-24 – scoring 69 goals and 107 points. His goal-scoring set a Leafs record and marked the most anyone has scored in one season since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. But the Leafs have been doing surprisingly well in his absence, posting a 7-1-0 record and outscoring their opponents 25-to-13. Their 3.125 goals-per-game average on this run is a boost over the 3.0 goals they averaged through their first 13 games. They’ve even improved their goals-per-game average, rising to 3.125 goals over this span after averaging 3.0 in their first 13 games. Matthews is a tremendous talent to add to a hot lineup – and Toronto will hope they can maintain the run through a stretch of tough matchups.

Other updates from today’s Leafs practice:

  • Matthew Knies also returned to practice donning a no-contact jersey, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. Knies is currently on injured reserve with an upper-body injury suffered in Toronto’s November 20th matchup against Vegas. Knies will be another notable addition to the top-six when he returns. He’s so far scored eight goals and 12 points in 20 games while averaging roughly 18 minutes of ice time, and served a key role on both special teams units. Knies is playing through his second full NHL season, after scoring 15 goals and 20 points as a rookie last year.
  • From great, to good, to bad – center Max Domi won’t join Toronto on their two-game road trip, as he continues to heal from a lower-body injury per Alter of The Hockey News. Domi will mis his third and fourth consecutive games with this news. He’s been on injured reserve since the 20th as well, and head coach Craig Berube didn’t provide an update on when Domi may return. Berube similarly didn’t have an update on David Kampf, shares Alter’s colleague Evan Doerfler. Kampf was placed on long-term injured reserve on November 16th and is expected to miss through mid-December.

Pacific Notes: Boeser, Meyers, Hinds

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Vancouver Canucks’ winger Brock Boeser will return to the lineup tonight after missing the last seven games with a concussion (X Link). Boeser’s concussion stems from the illegal check received from Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot which warranted a three-game suspension.

The Canucks experienced a mild downturn in scoring since Boeser exited the lineup on November 7th. The team averaged 3.25 goals per game when Boeser was in the lineup but fell to 3.14 goals per game in the past seven games. Vancouver’s biggest downturn has been in the standings, posting a 3-4-0 record in Boeser’s absence after starting the year 7-2-3.

Boeser’s reintroduction into the lineup will surely help the Canucks build upon their 14th-ranked offense and will soften the blow of forward J.T. Miller landing on the injured non-roster list. He was off to a quick start before the concussion posting six goals and 11 points through his first 12 contests.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • After debuting with the third team of his young career, forward Ben Meyers is headed back to the American Hockey League. The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve reassigned Meyers to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a short while ago. In his first NHL action since last April Meyers picked up three games with the Kraken scoring zero points while averaging 7:56 of ice time.
  • According to the AHL transactions log, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Tyson Hinds from their affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. It’ll mark the second call-up of the year for Hinds after failing to make his NHL debut on the previous one. He’s collected one goal and three points in 16 games for the AHL Gulls this season.

Timo Meier Receives One-Game Suspension

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1:18 PM: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety didn’t take long to deliberate. They’ve announced a one-game suspension for Meier for his cross-check on L’Heureux last night.

9:29 AM: The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has announced that New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier will have a hearing for his cross-check to the face of Nashville Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux. Meier will face supplemental discipline for an incident that occurred at the 12:17 mark of the third period of last night’s game. The penalty forced New Jersey to kill off a five-minute major while the team held a two-goal lead. The Devils went on to win the game by a score of 5-2.

Despite winning the game, the Devils were pushed around for much of the night. Before the Meier cross-checks, L’Heureux caught Devils forward Paul Cotter with a hip check that sent him to the New Jersey bench in obvious discomfort. L’Heureux and Meier then engaged in a battle after the whistle where L’Heureux gave Meier a shot in the back and then Meier hit him back with two cross-checks, the second of which caught the 21-year-old L’Heureux up high.

Meier has never missed any NHL games due to a suspension in his eight-year NHL career but has had to pay out some fines. During his rookie season in 2017-18, he was fined for elbowing then Vancouver Canucks defenseman Michael Del Zotto, then in 2019 he was given a $2000 fine for a second offense of Rule 64, which concerns diving and embellishment.

Meier’s hearing will take place today, and although the NHL hasn’t formally announced whether it will be a phone or in-person hearing, the tight timeline indicates that it will be a phone hearing.

Sharks Recall Jack Thompson, Reassign Yaroslav Askarov

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Defenseman Jack Thompson is staying on the San Jose Sharks roster after all. After reassigning Thompson yesterday evening to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, the organization announced they’ve recalled Thompson while sending goaltender Yaroslav Askarov back down to the AHL.

Thompson has been an effective blue-liner for the Sharks in his second year with the organization. He’s scored two goals and five points in 13 contests while averaging 15:55 of ice time per game. He’s third behind Jake Walman and Timothy Liljegren amongst defensemen with a 46.6% CorsiFor% at even strength and leads Sharks’ defensemen with a 92.7% on-ice save percentage in all situations.

He won’t land on many lists of top prospects for San Jose but Thompson is already developing into a serviceable two-way defenseman. He may even see his ice time climb to around 18 minutes per night should the Sharks move on from pending unrestricted free agents, Cody Ceci and Jan Rutta, by the end of the season.

With all due respect to Thompson and his solid start to the year, the headline of this transaction is surely Askarov. He’s not only the top goaltending prospect in the Sharks pipeline but remains one of the best goaltending prospects in the league.

San Jose acquired Askarov this past offseason for a package including Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025 and former first-round pick of the 2023 NHL Draft David Edstrom. Askarov debuted with the Sharks on November 21st due to an injury to netminder Vitek Vanecek.

He played phenomenally in two starts, managing a 1-0-1 record while posting a .927 save percentage and 1.96 goals against average. San Jose wants more seasoning in the AHL for Askarov where he’s already collected a 6-3-0 record for the Barracuda this season with a .939 SV% and 1.92 GAA. The team will likely wait closer to the 2025 trade deadline before making Askarov a full-time NHL netminder after peddling pending UFA’s Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood on the trade market.

Rangers Recall Chad Ruhwedel, Reassign Matt Rempe

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It’ll be another short stay in the NHL for New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe. The organization announced they’ve reassigned Rempe to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and recalled defenseman Chad Ruhwedel in a corresponding roster move.

The Rangers recalled Rempe only yesterday with veteran forward Chris Kreider out with a minor injury. He skated in 9:26 of New York’s loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues last night and also narrowly avoided supplemental discipline. Four minutes into the third period, Rempe hit St. Louis forward Jake Neighbours with a late hit and was called for roughing on the play. The NHL Department of Player Safety gave the penalty a closer look due to the lateness but did not think it was forceful enough to warrant a suspension or fine.

He’ll now return to a Wolf Pack team where he’s spent much of the season. Rempe has scored two goals and three points in 10 games for AHL Hartford this season while posting a -7 rating.

Ruhwedel will return to the NHL after a seven-game stint with the Wolf Pack to reclaim his role as the Rangers’ seventh defenseman. After acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, the organization re-signed Ruhwedel to a one-year, $775K contract this past summer.

He recently tallied two assists in Hartford for his first AHL points since the 2018-19 season. He barely edged out his total number of games played with New York where he’s collected no points in six contests since joining the team on March 8th, 2024.

Senators Place Artem Zub On LTIR, Recall Donovan Sebrango

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The Ottawa Senators have placed defenseman Artem Zub on long-term injured reserve as expected. In a corresponding roster move, the organization announced the LTIR placement and the recall of defenseman Donovan Sebrango from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

It’s an unfortunate but necessary transaction for the Senators after reports from this weekend indicated that Zub would be out ’for a while’ with a broken foot. Ottawa is likely still looking to add a defenseman via the trade market but will use Sebrango for now.

It’s becoming somewhat of a lost season for Zub. He’s already missed time in mid-to-late October with a concussion and could miss as many as two months due to the broken foot. As arguably the team’s best right-handed shooting defenseman, Sebrango will have big shoes to fill.

He’s in the second year of a four-year, $18.4MM extension originally signed in 2022. He’s tallied two assists over 11 games with the Senators this year and posted a respectable +0.5 E +/- according to Hockey Reference.

The only silver lining to the injury is that Sebrango has a clear path toward making his NHL debut. He was originally drafted with the 63rd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, making his way to the Senators organization in the trade sending Alex DeBrincat to Detroit over a year ago.

Sebrango, 22, is in his fourth professional season collecting seven goals and 31 points in 184 games between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Belleville. There may be some initial discipline issues (149 PIMs in the AHL) but he allows Ottawa to win more puck battles in the defensive zone.

The Senators don’t play until tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks which would be an ideal matchup for Sebrango’s first game. They’ll likely play him next to Thomas Chabot or Jake Sanderson to lessen his initial responsibility if he does make his debut tomorrow.

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