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Archives for December 2024

Sharks Notes: Kostin, Vanecek, Eklund, Walman

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The San Jose Sharks have activated forward Klim Kostin from the injured reserve. Kostin has missed the Sharks past five games with an upper-body injury but isn’t likely to play tonight and will serve as a healthy scratch. Kostin has had several stretches this season where he has served as a healthy scratch due to poor play, including a stretch of three weeks in November. The former first-round pick was solid as a depth scoring option in Edmonton during the 2022-23 season but has just a goal and three assists in 20 games this year.

In other Sharks notes:

  • The Sharks have placed goaltender Vitek Vanecek on the injured reserve. The 28-year-old hasn’t played in almost two weeks and can be activated whenever he is healthy enough to play again. It’s been a struggle this season for Vanecek as he’s posted a 3-8-1 record with a .885 save percentage and a 3.84 goals-against average. Vanecek was acquired from the New Jersey Devils back in March and is in the final season of a three-year $10.2MM contract.
  • Sharks forward William Eklund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). The 22-year-old took a nasty hit from Tyler Myers in the first period of Monday night’s game against Vancouver and missed the second and third periods. The Sharks don’t appear overly concerned at the moment and are monitoring Eklund’s recovery. The former seventh overall pick in 2021 has been sloppy with the puck at times this season, but his play-driving abilities and offensive instincts have been on full display. In 36 games this season Eklund has posted seven goals and 20 assists.
  • Finally, Sharks defenseman Jake Walman is also out day-to-day with a lower-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Walman suffered an apparent injury at some point in Saturday’s game against Edmonton and will miss his second consecutive game this evening. The 28-year-old has already set a career-high in points this season with 25 (five goals and 20 assists) in just 31 games.

Canucks Recall Three, Hughes And Pettersson Doubtful For Saturday

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The Vancouver Canucks made three recalls today, bringing forwards Phil Di Giuseppe and Max Sasson up to the big club from Abbotsford as well as defenseman Guillaume Brisebois. The moves were likely made as a precaution since it appears that forward Elias Pettersson and defenseman Quinn Hughes won’t be able to play tomorrow night (as per Jeff Paterson of Canucks Army).

The 31-year-old Di Giuseppe is a veteran of 285 NHL games and has dressed in three NHL games this season for Vancouver, posting two assists. The nine-year veteran was in the AHL for just a handful of days and didn’t play during that time, earning his AHL salary of $500K rather than the $775K he earns at the NHL level. He played three times for Vancouver last week, including this past Monday night against San Jose.

Sasson has provided solid depth scoring this season, both in the NHL and AHL. With Vancouver this season, the 24-year-old has a goal and four helpers in 12 games, while in the AHL his offensive numbers are a shade better, posting four goals and five assists in 16 games. The Birmingham, Michigan native was undrafted out of the USHL and has carved out a solid but brief professional career thus far, reaching the NHL in his second full season of pro hockey.

Brisebois returns to Vancouver after having spent the entire season with Abbotsford. The 27-year-old dressed in 17 NHL games two seasons ago but has not seen NHL action since. It’s unlikely he will dress tomorrow night as the Canucks have seven healthy defensemen right now, and Brisebois will most likely serve as the seventh defender. Brisebois has just a single goal in 23 AHL games this season.

As far as the injuries to Pettersson and Hughes go, both players were being re-evaluated today by Canucks medical staff before the team makes a final judgement on their availability tomorrow.

Golden Knights Make Three Roster Moves

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The Golden Knights have made a trio of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against San Jose.  SinBin.Vegas relays (Twitter link) that center Nicolas Roy has been placed on injured reserve, opening a roster spot for defenseman Ben Hutton to be activated off LTIR.  Meanwhile, forward Tanner Laczynski has been recalled once more after being papered down over the holiday break.

Roy last played on December 15th where he suffered an upper-body injury.  The 27-year-old got off to a hot start to his season with a dozen points in his first 17 games but has been quiet since then, being limited to just one point – a goal – since then, spanning 14 games.  Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun adds (Twitter link) that Roy’s IR placement is retroactive to December 16th, meaning he has already served the required seven days so he’ll be able to be activated as soon as he’s cleared to return.

As for Hutton, he has been limited to just five games this season and has missed more than a month with an upper-body issue of his own which landed him on LTIR when Vegas needed to open up a bit of short-term cap flexibility.  The 31-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in his five outings while averaging just over 11 minutes a night.  With now eight healthy blueliners on the roster, Hutton may be waiting a little while before seeing game action.

Laczynski, meanwhile, was briefly up with Vegas before the break, getting into three games.  He was held without a point in those in just under nine minutes a night of playing time.  However, the 27-year-old has been productive with the Silver Knights, tallying six goals and 13 assists in 17 AHL games.  He’s in the first season of a two-year, one-way deal after spending the previous four seasons with Philadelphia.

Jets Recall Dylan Coghlan; Haydn Fleury Out Week-To-Week

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While he cleared waivers just last week, Dylan Coghlan’s time in the minors was short-lived.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the blueliner from AHL Manitoba.  Meanwhile, TSN’s John Lu notes (Twitter link) that blueliner Haydn Fleury is listed as week-to-week with his knee injury while Dylan Samberg will miss at least another five days as he works his way back from a foot injury.

Coghlan was acquired from Carolina back in July in exchange for future considerations, signing a one-year, two-way deal soon after.  He has been on Winnipeg’s roster for most of the year but that hasn’t resulted in much playing time as he has played just once with the Jets so far.  After clearing waivers last week, he got into two contests with the Moose, scoring once.  In the short term, Coghlan will likely resume his role as a reserve defenseman.

Fleury, meanwhile, tried to skate this morning after being injured on Monday against Toronto but it evidently did not go well, leading to this week-to-week designation.  The 28-year-old is in his first season with Winnipeg after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them in the summer and has held down a regular spot in the lineup most nights.  Fleury has six assists in 25 games thus far while blocking 44 shots in over 17 minutes a night of action.  With an extended absence on the horizon, he’s likely to land on injured reserve in the coming days.

As for Samberg, he missed the last month due to his foot injury.  Head coach Scott Arniel indicated that the blueliner will skate on his own for the next five days before being reassessed.  Speculatively, he’ll need a few days of practice and being cleared for contact from there so his return is still likely more than a week away.  Samberg has played in 21 games so far this season, notching three goals and three assists while logging over 20 minutes a night, nearly five minutes a game higher than his ATOI last season.

Rangers Activate K’Andre Miller, Assign Chad Ruhwedel To AHL

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The Rangers will welcome back a key blueliner on Saturday as Mollie Walker of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that defenseman K’Andre Miller has been activated off injured reserve.  In a corresponding move, the team announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Chad Ruhwedel has been returned to AHL Hartford.

Miller has missed a little more than two weeks with an upper-body injury but was believed to be nearing a return before the holiday break so it comes as little surprise that he has been activated now.  It has been a rough year for the 24-year-old as he has not been able to get back to the form he had over the past two seasons.  After putting up 43 points in 2022-23 and 30 last season, Miller has been limited to just two goals and four assists in 28 games so far this year despite still logging over 21 minutes a night.

The timing of his struggles certainly isn’t ideal from Miller’s perspective.  He’s in the final season of his two-year bridge deal and will be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights.  At that time, he’ll be owed a $4.646MM qualifying offer but while it looked like he’d vastly exceed that a year ago, that’s less likely to be the case now.  Meanwhile, with the team struggling, he’s among the players who have been speculated as potential trade chips as GM Chris Drury looks to reshape his roster.

As for Ruhwedel, he has been shuttled back and forth throughout the last six weeks but NHL playing time has been hard to come by.  The 34-year-old has played in just five games with New York so far, collecting one assist in a little over 14 minutes a night of playing time.  A veteran of 369 career NHL appearances, Ruhwedel will certainly be among the first recall options whenever another defender is banged up.  Ruhwedel also has three assists in 11 appearances with Hartford.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Senators, Boqvist, Vecvanags

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The Maple Leafs will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games, mentions Nick Barden of The Hockey News.  The 27-year-old has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury that has lingered throughout the season.  When healthy, he has been productive with 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games although that output is below his usual level.  Head coach Craig Berube did note that Matthews is getting better which is a positive sign although given how long this injury has lingered, it’s fair to suggest that it’s something the center will be dealing with at times throughout the rest of the season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Senators winger David Perron (upper body) and defenseman Artem Zub (foot) both skated today as they work their way back from their respective injuries, notes Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link). The veterans each last played back on November 23rd when they sustained their respective injuries.  Meanwhile, winger Michael Amadio (head) is expected to be out for a while according to head coach Travis Green.  It’s unlikely that Perron and Zub will be available to return right away given Ottawa’s four recalls earlier today but the fact they’re both skating suggests they’re getting closer to suiting back up.
  • Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist has been cleared to return to the lineup, team reporter Jameson Olive relays (Twitter link). He missed the last three games while being in concussion protocol.  Boqvist is in his first season with Florida and has five goals and six assists through 33 games so far while averaging 13 minutes a night of playing time.  Although he was eligible to be placed on IR during his absence, the team elected not to do so.
  • Canadiens prospect Mikus Vecvanags has signed with QMJHL Acadie-Bathurst, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Montreal selected the netminder in the fifth round (134th overall) back in June.  Vecvanags was selected by the Titan in the CHL Import Draft but elected to start the season with BCHL Brooks but playing time was hard to come by as he got into just five games with the Bandits, posting a 3.18 GAA with a .881 SV%.

Kraken Recall Gustav Olofsson, Ales Stezka

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The Kraken resume their schedule tomorrow in a rivalry matchup against the Canucks. As such, they’ve added to their roster today, announcing they’ve recalled defenseman Gustav Olofsson and goaltender Ales Stezka from AHL Coachella Valley, the latter on an emergency basis. Their active roster is now full.

Olofsson, 30, is coming off his first recall of the season. The minor-league mainstay was rostered for Seattle’s pre-break back-to-back last weekend but didn’t play, sitting in the press box on both occasions. He was returned to Coachella Valley on Monday to delay the expiration of his waiver clock and decrease his paycheck, but is back on the roster as a seventh defenseman with William Borgen out of the picture after being traded to the Rangers.

The 6’3″ left-shooting Swede is in the back half of a two-year, two-way extension he signed with Seattle in 2023. Now in his third season in the Kraken organization, he’s yet to see NHL ice this season and has made only four combined major league appearances since heading to the Pacific Northwest. A 2013 Minnesota second-round pick, he hasn’t been a full-time NHLer since his days with the Wild in the late 2010s.

Olofsson has been an alternate captain with Coachella Valley in all three seasons of their existence. This season, he ranks third among team defenders in scoring with 11 points (2 G, 9 A) in 27 games, nearly surpassing last season’s total. He has 29 points in 98 games as a Firebird since arriving there in 2022.

Stezka’s summons indicates that either one of Joey Daccord or Philipp Grubauer will be unavailable for tomorrow’s game. The 27-year-old is Seattle’s bonafide No. 3 option after they lost Chris Driedger to the Panthers in free agency, and while he dressed for a pair of games as the Kraken’s backup last month, he’s yet to make his NHL debut. An undrafted free agent signing out of Czechia in 2023, Stezka has a 2.94 GAA, .906 SV%, and a 6-9-6 record in 18 showings with Coachella Valley this season.

Linus Ullmark Out At Least Five More Games With Back Injury

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The Senators will be without star starter Linus Ullmark for at least two more weeks. Head coach Travis Green told reporters that Ullmark won’t travel with the team on their upcoming five-game road swing as he nurses a back issue. The soonest he could return to the lineup is Jan. 9 against the Sabres (via TSN 1200 Ottawa).

That means Ullmark will likely be landing on injured reserve to accommodate the recall of goaltenders Leevi Merilainen and Mads Søgaard from AHL Belleville this morning. No. 2 option Anton Forsberg, who’s listed as out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t dressed since Dec. 14, will travel with the team and thus will return to action sooner than Ullmark. Green said. He’ll likely remain on the active roster for now, although since he’s missed more than seven days, it wouldn’t be an issue for Ottawa to place both Forsberg and Ullmark on IR if necessary to open up an additional roster spot. However, they need to make one IR placement today, as their active roster count sits at one over the limit after this morning’s recalls.

The news hits pause on a promising first season for Ullmark in the Canadian capital after being acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Bruins during the Stanley Cup Final. The 31-year-old Swede has a 12-7-2 record with a .915 SV% and 2.38 GAA through 22 starts and one relief appearance. That’s good for 9.2 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. That would be the highest mark an Ottawa netminder has posted since Craig Anderson’s 10.6 in the 2016-17 campaign, coincidentally the last time the Senators secured a postseason berth.

If they end their playoff drought this season, Ullmark will be a big reason why. He has them in a position to do so, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference with an 18-14-2 record and 38 points. MoneyPuck currently gives the Sens a 66.1% chance of holding onto their playoff spot, while Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic gives them a 64% chance. Those numbers drop slightly with Ullmark (and Forsberg) out of the picture for the next couple of games, but if Ullmark is ready to go by the time the Sens return home, it shouldn’t be a season-altering absence.

Ullmark has already had one injury-related absence this season, missing four games with a muscle strain back in October. Ottawa went 3-1-0 during that time but allowed 3.5 goals per game, managing enough goal support to buoy themselves during Ullmark’s absence. The 2023 Jennings and Vezina Trophy winner is in the final season of a four-year, $20MM contract he signed with Boston as a free agent in 2021 but has a four-year, $33MM extension on the books to keep him in Ottawa through the 2028-29 campaign.

Until Forsberg is ready to return, it’s Merilainen’s and Søgaard’s crease. Unfortunately, neither has been promising in their short looks at the NHL level this season. Merilainen has allowed six goals on 39 shots faced for a .846 SV% in one start and one relief appearance, while Søgaard allowed four goals on 17 shots in a relief appearance against the Kings on Oct. 14.

Red Wings Activate Simon Edvinsson From Injured Reserve

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Dec. 27: The Red Wings announced that they’ve activated Edvinsson from injured reserve, indicating he’ll make his return to the lineup tonight against the Maple Leafs after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Wallinder and Lagesson were returned to Grand Rapids over the holiday break in corresponding transactions. Chiarot should also be cleared to play after missing their game against the Blues on Monday, newly-installed head coach Todd McLellan said (per the team’s Daniella Bruce).

Dec. 23: Prior to tonight’s game, the Red Wings placed defenseman Simon Edvinsson on injured reserve due to an upper-body issue. William Wallinder was called up from AHL Grand Rapids to take Edvinsson’s roster spot, the team announced.

It seemed likely that Edvinsson would be optioned to IR for roster flexibility after head coach Derek Lalonde said this morning that he and defensive counterpart Ben Chiarot would be unavailable against the Blues. Edvinsson has already missed two games with the injury, which he sustained on Dec. 18 against the Flyers. He’ll be eligible to come off IR for Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs if he’s medically cleared, a strong possibility since Detroit hasn’t issued a return timeline beyond day-to-day.

The IR placement hits pause on what’s been a breakout season for Edvinsson on the Red Wings’ thin blue-line. Selected sixth overall in the 2021 draft, he spent most of the prior two seasons in Grand Rapids but has taken a full-time role and run with it this season after a strong showing defensively in a late-season call-up last year. The offense wasn’t there for Edvinsson early on, posting three goals and an assist for four points through his first 25 NHL appearances in 2022-23 and 2023-24. That’s changed this year, with Edvinsson ranking eighth on the team in scoring with 13 points (3 G, 10 A) in 30 games, all at even strength.

Edvinsson is averaging 20:44 per game and is second among Detroit defenders with a 48.6% shot attempt share at even strength. Still just 21, it seems he’s officially on track to reach his top-pairing ceiling.

With William Lagesson also on hand as a more veteran option, it seems likely that Wallinder will sit in the press box tonight and serve as a healthy scratch and last-minute injury protection. The left-shot defender is in his second full season in North America, where he has eight points and a -5 rating in 19 games with Grand Rapids. The 6’4″, 190-lb defender will likely be returned to the minors tomorrow over the holiday break and will only be summoned back to the roster if Chiarot and Edvinsson remain unavailable by the end of the week. Wallinder, 22, was the 32nd overall pick of the 2020 draft.

Stars Recall Lian Bichsel, Reassign Justin Hryckowian

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Dec. 27: Bichsel ended up back on the Stars’ roster today but not Hryckowian, per the club. As such, they won’t be carrying an extra forward for tonight’s game. They have two open spots on their active roster.

Dec. 24: According to the AHL transactions page, the Stars reassigned Hryckowian back to AHL Texas a day after their recent game against the New York Rangers and reassigned Bichsel earlier today. Both players are expected back on the NHL roster before Dallas’ upcoming matchup against the Minnesota Wild on December 27th.

Dec. 20: The Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel & forward Justin Hryckowian from their American Hockey League affiliate the Texas Stars (as per Dallas Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine). The forward recall could be necessary as Mason Marchment couldn’t finish Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bichsel made his NHL debut on December 12th and scored his first NHL goal. The 20-year-old posted another goal on Monday night against the Washington Capitals. During his four NHL games, Bichsel averaged a tick over 15 minutes of ice time per game. During his 21 AHL games, Bichsel has posted a +8 plus/minus as well as 26 PIM along with three goals and six assists. Bichsel looks like an NHL player at the moment, and a good argument could be made that he has done all he can in the AHL, however, during his most recent recall there were several prominent moments where he was outplayed.

Hryckowian received his first call-up to the NHL earlier this month on December 2nd but didn’t see any NHL action. In the AHL, he currently leads all Texas scorers with 23 points (nine goals and 14 assists) in 25 games. His +14 rating is tops among all AHL forwards.

The Stars are back in action tonight against the New York Rangers. Depending on the status of Marchment, it’s very possible that Hryckowian could make his NHL debut.

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