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Archives for December 2024

Minnesota Wild Activate Joel Eriksson Ek

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After starting the season with a 17-4-4 record through their first 25 games the Minnesota Wild have struggled of late with a 5-6-0 record in their last 11. Minnesota needed a boost in a major way and will get one in the form of top center Joel Eriksson Ek whom the team has activated off the injured reserve.

Minnesota’s fall from the top of the Central Division is directly related to Eriksson Ek’s absence. The team has struggled to find a proper solution down the middle in Eriksson Ek’s absence outside of Marco Rossi. The youngster has been nearly a point-per-game player without Eriksson Ek scoring five goals and nine points in the last 11 games but the Wild don’t have another legitimate top-six center option behind him.

Eriksson Ek’s scoring has depressed this season when healthy with five goals and 13 points in 22 games. That 0.59 point-per-game average is nearly a third lower than what he’s been producing the last few years in Minnesota. Still, Eriksson Ek has provided quality play in the faceoff dot and is very responsible on the defensive side of the puck.

The recent injury will likely hinder Eriksson Ek’s efforts to capture his first Selke Trophy given that he only play a maximum of 68 games this year. He’s finished in the top 10 of Selke votes the last four years and was averaging the highest on-ice save percentage of his career before suffering the lower-body injury.

Eriksson Ek’s absence also raised some important questions for the Wild. It proved that Minnesota lacks depth down the middle which needs to be filled if they have any hopes of competing in the tough Central Division down the stretch. The lingering buyout penalties for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter limit Minnesota to approximately $2MM in deadline cap space making their lives that much harder.

Still, the Wild could trade some salary off the roster such as Zach Bogosian or Jonathon Merrill, and acquire a player with term given that Parise and Suter’s buyout penalties effectively end after this season. Minnesota has already traded away their first-round pick this season in the trade that brought David Jiříček to the organization so that will be another limiting factor heading into deadline season.

Blackhawks Reassign Kevin Korchinski, Recall Wyatt Kaiser

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The Chicago Blackhawks are making a roster swap with two of their depth defensemen. The organization announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Kevin Korchinski to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and recalled Wyatt Kaiser to the NHL roster.

Korchinski is not a depth defenseman in the true sense of the word but he has been utilized like one this season. He’s only three years removed from being the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and played through his rookie season last year. There’s reason to believe Korchinski was inappropriately rushed to the NHL last year as his rookie campaign yielded lethargic results.

It was never going to be an easy transition for Korchinski. He was tasked with shouldering top-four minutes on a weak Blackhawks’ roster and he ended the year with five goals and 15 points in 79 games with an eye-popping -39 rating. Chicago understandably sent Korchinski down to the AHL this season to help the young blue-liner regain confidence and take a small step back in his development.

Under his current recall, Korchinski skated in nine games for the Blackhawks but failed to find the scoresheet averaging 16:46 of ice time per game. He saw a minor increase in his CorsiFor% but a nine-game trial isn’t enough to make any serious judgement calls about Korchinski’s current development.

He’s produced better offensively with AHL Rockford scoring two goals and 11 points through 21 games but hasn’t quite yet gained the defensive maturity required for professional hockey. Still, being back with the IceHogs will allow increased playing time and an opportunity to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch.

Kaiser is back on the Blackhawks roster after a small demotion over the holiday break. He’s suited up in 28 games for Chicago this season but had been serving as a healthy scratch for their last three. He sits fourth on the team in blocked shots and will likely slot into the bottom-pairing duo next to T.J. Brodie for the team’s game against the Dallas Stars later today.

Bruins Receiving Trade Interest In Trent Frederic

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Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic is reportedly receiving trade interest from multiple teams (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on Saturday Headlines). It is the second time in two weeks that Friedman has reported on the interest in Frederic, and it’s fair to wonder if Boston will move the 26-year-old given his current contract situation. Frederic is in the final season of a two-year $4.6MM contract that expires on July 1st, 2025, at which time he will become an unrestricted free agent. The teams calling on Frederic are asking if Boston intends to sign Frederic or what their thinking could be going forward.

The St. Louis, Missouri native had a career year last year, posting 18 goals and 22 assists in 82 games with a +9 plus/minus rating. This year, Frederic has seen his offensive numbers fall to just five goals and six assists in 38 games. While the drop in production is concerning, the biggest issue for Frederic has been his shooting percentage which has dropped from 14.6% to 9.3%.

Given Boston’s current standing in the Atlantic Division (third place), it’s unlikely the Bruins would opt to be sellers. However, Boston has played significantly more games than Tampa Bay and Ottawa, so they may fall into a Wild Card spot. The Bruins could also look to move Frederic in the hopes of plugging a different hole in their roster but given Frederic’s ability to play center and wing, Boston may view his versatility more favorably than any potential returns via trade.

Penguins Have Tough Decisions To Make In Second Half Of Season

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will have some difficult choices to make as they inch towards the NHL trade deadline on March 7th, 2025. Pittsburgh has several intriguing trade possibilities, including defensemen Marcus Pettersson, Matt Grzelcyk, and forward Drew O’Connor. The Penguins have played better as of late, turning things around from an early season run of poor hockey that had fans screaming for a coaching change. This run has further complicated the direction general manager Kyle Dubas can take this team in the second half of the season.

A 9-3-1 run heading into the holiday break had people wondering if Dubas should hang on to pending unrestricted free agents, however, the Penguins played a fairly uninspiring game last night against a division rival, dropping a 6-3 decision to the lowly New York Islanders. The loss kicks off an unofficial second half of the season for Pittsburgh, one in which the possibilities appear to be many. The month of January will be crucial for Pittsburgh to determine the direction in which the remainder of the season will go. If the Penguins play .500 hockey or below, it is likely that Dubas will opt to move on from Pettersson and company and keep his eyes on the future. However, if Pittsburgh is in the hunt, standing pat could be an option too.

Additions seem unlikely given that Dubas has been accumulating future assets for the past calendar year and has publicly expressed his desire to build for the future. Acquiring a young, controllable player could be a move that Dubas desires, similar to the recent trade for forward Philip Tomasino.

The other looming concern for Pittsburgh is franchise legend Sidney Crosby and the message it would send to him if Dubas were to move out veterans while the Penguins are in the thick of a playoff hunt. At 37 years old, Crosby only has a few high-level seasons left in him, and he has been on a tear as of late, rounding into mid-season form. Dubas has already said the Penguins won’t enter a full rebuild with Crosby on the roster, meaning they will continue to try and remain competitive with an eye toward the future.

The next two months in Pittsburgh should be interesting, Pettersson would fetch a solid return of futures. However, there aren’t many other players Dubas can move that will bring in anything of substance, which could be another factor in his decision before the deadline. O’Connor is an intriguing possibility for teams, but he hasn’t been able to recapture his offensive numbers from last season, which has impacted what the Penguins can get in a trade for him. The 26-year-old has just three goals and seven assists in 37 games this year.

Snapshots: Rangers, Forsberg, Vanecek, Eyssimont

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Despite what has been a rather tumultuous last few weeks, the Rangers would prefer not to make a coaching change, suggests Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription link).  New York entered tonight’s action having lost 13 of their last 17 games, sliding from being in a playoff spot to seventh in the Metropolitan Division heading into Saturday’s action (which didn’t go well for them either).  Even with the recent struggles, the Rangers have played to a .634 points percentage under Peter Laviolette who is approaching the midway point of his three-year contract.

More from around the NHL:

  • Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg could return to the lineup on Thursday in Dallas, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He has been out for the last two weeks with what was originally termed as a minor ailment sustained during a pregame warmup.  The 32-year-old has a 2.95 GAA with a .889 SV% in his first 11 starts of the season.  In the meantime, Ottawa is playing this weekend with their AHL tandem of Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen with Linus Ullmark out for their road trip.
  • Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky provided an update on injured goaltender Vitek Vanecek. He told reporters including Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link) that the upper-body injury the netminder is dealing with is a fractured cheek.  He’s now listed as out week-to-week.  Vanecek has a 3.84 GAA and a .885 SV% in 14 outings this season and could be a possible trade candidate for a team looking for extra goaltending depth when he’s cleared to return as he’s in the final year of his contract.
  • Lightning winger Michael Eyssimont is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, relays team reporter Gabby Shirley (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has played in 31 games so far this season, picking up three goals and two assists in just under 11 minutes a night of ice time.  Tampa Bay has two open roster spots at the moment so if they need to call up someone from AHL Syracuse, they won’t have to move Eyssimont to IR to do so.

Central Notes: Stars, Avalanche, Wild, Bortuzzo

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The Stars are being investigated by the league for a possible CBA violation over the holiday break, report Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link).  Head coach Peter DeBoer indicated on Friday that there was an optional skate held on Thursday.  However, teams aren’t permitted to hold any sort of on-ice sessions with players between December 24th and 26th with this skate being held on the 26th.  The league sent a memo to all 32 teams on Monday reminding them of the rule prohibiting travel or ice time.  Back in 2022, Toronto was fined $100K for violating the travel portion of the rule so if the league levies a penalty to Dallas following their investigation, it’s likely to be at or above that amount.

More from the Central:

  • Avalanche defenseman Oliver Kylington had been listed as out week-to-week but that has been changed to month-to-month, reports NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding (Bluesky link). He has missed the last four weeks with an upper-body injury but hasn’t been progressing in his recovery.  However, there should be some good news coming on the injury front as Boulding adds that winger Jonathan Drouin could return on Tuesday.  He has missed the last month with an upper-body injury and has been limited to just five games so far this season due to injuries.
  • Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek skated today and the team is hopeful he can return to the lineup in one of Minnesota’s next two games, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). He has missed a little more than three weeks with a lower-body injury and while he was off to a rough start offensively with 13 points in 22 games, he’d be a welcome addition to a Wild group that has struggled in recent weeks.
  • Utah defenseman Robert Bortuzzo skated with the team today and has been cleared for contact, relays Brogan Houston of the Deseret News (Twitter link). The veteran has missed a little over two weeks so far due to a lower-body injury.  Bortuzzo has played in 15 games this season but has been limited to just two assists in a little over 11 minutes a night of ice time.

Avalanche Make Four Roster Moves

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It was a busy day for the Avalanche on top of their trade with Nashville earlier today.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned defenseman John Ludvig to AHL Colorado on a conditioning assignment while also assigning forward Givani Smith to the Eagles.  Meanwhile, the Avs also recalled defenseman Keaton Middleton and winger Jere Innala from the Eagles, per the AHL’s transactions log.

Ludvig was claimed on waivers back in October but playing time has been hard to come by as he has been limited to just eight games so far.  He has a pair of assists and 16 hits while averaging just under 13 minutes a night.  Ludvig has only played three times since November 10th and hasn’t suited up once since December 5th so he’ll be well-served getting some game action in with the Eagles.  The conditioning assignment can last up to two weeks.

As for Smith, he was acquired earlier this month from San Jose after he cleared waivers.  Since then, he has gotten into seven games, bringing his season total to 13.  For the season, the 26-year-old doesn’t have a point while adding 18 penalty minutes and 20 hits in a little over six minutes a night of playing time.  He can only play in three more NHL games before needing to pass through waivers again.

Middleton and Innala, meanwhile, were reassigned to the minors before the holiday break, allowing the Avs to save some money (though not bank cap space since they’re in LTIR).  Middleton has nine blocks and 13 hits in nine games so far while Innala has been held off the scoresheet in his first three NHL appearances.

Hurricanes Recall Ty Smith; Shayne Gostisbehere Out With Upper-Body Injury

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The Hurricanes had recalled defenseman Ty Smith on five separate occasions earlier in the season but he never got into a game.  It turns out the sixth time will be the charm.  Earlier today, the team announced that they once again promoted Smith from AHL Chicago.  However, they also revealed (Twitter link) that blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere was scratched for tonight’s game against New Jersey due to an upper-body injury.

Smith was acquired by Carolina last season at the trade deadline as part of the Jake Guentzel trade but hadn’t suited up for the Hurricanes before tonight.  The 24-year-old has played in 13 games with the Wolves so far this season, collecting three goals and seven assists.  Smith has 123 career NHL appearances under his belt between New Jersey and Pittsburgh but last saw action at the top level in January 2023.

As for Gostisbehere, he has been quite productive in his return to Carolina after signing a three-year, $9.6MM contract he signed back in July.  Through 35 games, he has six goals and 21 assists while logging 19 minutes a night.  He leads all Hurricanes blueliners in scoring while sitting third in points overall among all Carolina players so his absence will certainly be notable.  The team didn’t reveal any potential timeline for his absence.

Avalanche Acquire Juuso Pärssinen From Predators

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The Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators are making yet another trade, with forward Juuso Pärssinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick headed to the Avalanche in exchange for forward Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick.

The Predators have been shopping Pärssinen around throughout much of the month, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting teams were interested in the forward two weeks ago. In the end, Nashville finds a typical suitor in Colorado. The two sides have already made one trade this season, swapping veteran backup Scott Wedgewood for young up-and-comer Justus Annunen and a draft pick in late-November. That move was one of four trades that Nashville has made this year, and one of three Avalanche trades. Both goalies have been fantastic in their new settings, with Wedgewood posting a 4-2-0 record and .932 save percentage in six games, and Annunen posting a 2-1-0 record and .941 in four games.

The two sides will now hope for similar profits from this deal. In Parssinen, Colorado receives the clear upper-hand, reeling in a six-foot-three, 212-pound 23-year-old with the ability to play either center or wing. Parssinen, originally a seventh-round pick in 2019, turned pro with the Predators in the 2022-23 season. He started the year in the minors, but earned a quick call-up after scoring nine points in his first 10 AHL games. Unfortunately, Parssinen couldn’t stay too hot at the pro level, though he did still manage an encouraging 25 points in 45 games as an NHL rookie. He made the Predators’ roster out of training camp last season, but managed just 12 points in 43 games before being reassigned to the minor leagues. Parssinen managed an additional 25 points in 36 games with the Milwaukee Admirals, setting him up to return to the NHL this year – but he still can’t seem to find his footing at the top flight. As it stands, he has just five points in 15 games this season – while serving in a true fourth-line role.

Parssinen still seems to have plenty of untapped potential, and middle-six upside. While Colorado mines that vein, Nashville clears up additional space on the NHL roster by acquiring career minor-leaguer Ondrej Pavel. Pavel also turned pro in 2022-23, joining the AHL’s Colorado Eagles for two games, and no scoring, after the end of Minnesota State’s season. He more formally played his rookie AHL season last year, recording 10 points and 37 penalty minutes in 61 games. Pavel also received the first two NHL games of his career last year, though one minor penalty and a -1 stand as his only stat changes. He’s continued to post menial scoring this year, with just two points in 14 AHL games on the season, and should head for a clear role down Nashville’s depth chart. That could open up space for the team to award more ice time to Fedor Svechkov, Reid Schaefer, or Joakim Kemell – three top prospects who have each performed admirably in the AHL. Predators general manager Barry Trotz said previously that, should the roster continue sliding, he’d like to prioritize getting top prospects NHL action – a statement vindicated by this move, and the team’s 4-5-1 record in their last 10 games.

Blue Jackets Activate, Assign Jordan Dumais

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated top prospect Jordan Dumais off of season-opening injured reserve and loaned him to the AHL. Dumais missed the majority of Columbus’ training and development camps this summer, and earned an IR placement on October 7th, due to a nagging lower-abdominal injury connected to a fractured hip suffered in January. He underwent surgery in late-January but couldn’t return to full health in time for the end of the 2023-24 season. The Cleveland Monsters have three games remaining in 2024, giving Dumais a slim window to play in any regular season games this year. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic adds that Dumais was headed for another surgery this summer, before hitting a positive swing in his training.

Dumais’ hip and abdominal injury put a sore end to a truly fantastic juniors career. He scored at unprecedented rates in four years with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, headlined by 109 points in his draft year and 140 points the year after. The latter season broke Halifax’s single-season scoring record, while the former ranks fifth. He was headed for more records at the start of last season, scoring 47 points in 21 games prior to injury –  a full-season pace of 143 points in 64 games. And while he wasn’t able to reach those heights, his 119 goals and 325 points in 193 career games with the Mooseheads still both rank as franchise-records.

Despite the incredible scoring, many aren’t convinced about how Dumais will translate to the pro flight. He’s earned his points through quick dekes and smooth skating, giving him a unique ability to sneak around opponents with the puck on his stick. But he only stands at five-foot-nine and 175-pounds – a frame that assuredly doesn’t lend itself to slick deking against NHL hitters. Fears over his size and projectability landed Dumais in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft, going 96th-overall to Columbus. He vindicated their faith quickly at the juniors level, but has been delayed in doing the same in the pros. This roster move should be the first step towards discovering where Dumais’ true upside lies, so long as he continues to trend towards full health.

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