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Maple Leafs Sign James Reimer To PTO

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The Maple Leafs have signed veteran netminder James Reimer to a professional tryout, per a club announcement.

If it results in a contract, it could end up being a bookend to the 37-year-old’s NHL career. Reimer was a fourth-round pick by the Leafs back in 2006 and broke into the NHL with them four years later. He spent nearly six full seasons with the Leafs, spending a good chunk of that time in tandem with Jonathan Bernier, before being dealt to the Sharks at the 2016 trade deadline to kick off the journeyman portion of his career. His first go-around with Toronto saw him post an 85-76-23 record, .914 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 11 shutouts in 207 appearances. He guided the club to its only playoff appearance of the Phil Kessel era and was excellent in a seven-game loss to the Bruins in the first round in 2013, logging a .923 SV% in that series.

He rejoins the organization now as much-needed depth after the club announced earlier this week that Joseph Woll had taken a personal leave and would be out indefinitely. Behind Woll’s tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz, the Leafs had only six games of NHL experience in their goaltending pipeline – all belonging to third-stringer Dennis Hildeby last season. Reimer’s 525 career games are more than twice the combined total of every available Toronto goalie at the moment.

Of course, Reimer is no longer the serviceable 30-to-40-start netminder he was for the Leafs a decade ago. He’s a fine backup option now, but hasn’t posted an above-average save percentage in each of the last three seasons. He made 21 starts and three relief appearances last year between the Ducks and Sabres, spending a good portion of the season as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s No. 2 in Buffalo. He compiled a 10-10-2 record with a .896 SV% and 3.04 GAA with one shutout. While those are below-average numbers on the surface, he ended up with a whopping 8.0 goals saved above expected thanks to some porous Sabres defensive performances in front of him, according to MoneyPuck. That ranked 25th in the league last year.

That latter number means he could be an intriguing stopgap for a Leafs squad that squeezed the best out of Stolarz and Woll last season. If Woll ends up missing extended time, he could be lined up to get more than the 1-in-4 workload he’s seen over the past couple of years with Stolarz untested past the 30-game range in a season.

Penguins’ Joel Blomqvist Out At Least Four Weeks

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Penguins goaltender Joel Blomqvist will be out “for a minimum” of four weeks as he deals with a lower-body injury, the team announced. As a player on a two-way contract who played less than 50 NHL games last year, he’s eligible for season-opening injured reserve with a prorated cap hit.

The injury bug continues to bite the Pens, who have already lost forwards Kevin Hayes and Rutger McGroarty for the beginning of the regular season. It’s especially tough news for Blomqvist, who was hoping to work his way into a potential three-goalie rotation on the NHL roster or force the club to expose either Tristan Jarry or Arturs Silovs to waivers in what stands as a wide-open crease in Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old has been viewed as the organization’s top goalie prospect for the last couple of years, but after making 15 NHL appearances last year, he’s no longer considered a prospect by most public rankings.

It’s unclear if Blomqvist sustained the injury in his lone preseason outing, which came back on Monday against the Canadiens. He went a perfect 11-for-11 before leaving the game as scheduled during the first TV timeout past the halfway point of regulation.

The injury greatly diminishes his hopes of sticking on the NHL roster when he’s ready to return. A roster spot wasn’t a given anyway – he’s still waiver-exempt, a status he could maintain through 2026-27 if he doesn’t play an additional 45 games by then. He also wasn’t particularly impressive in his first taste of big-league action last season. He made 12 starts and three relief appearances along the way as both Jarry and veteran backup Alex Nedeljkovic, now with San Jose, both struggled ahead of him. He logged a 4-9-1 record with a .885 SV% and 3.81 GAA. He allowed 4.7 goals above expected based on the shot quality he faced, according to MoneyPuck – the same amount Jarry allowed in more than twice as many appearances. Blomqvist’s -0.365 GSAx/60 was 11th-worst in the league among goalies with at least 15 appearances.

Nonetheless, the 6’2″ Finn has been one of the AHL’s more impressive young goalies since arriving in North America full-time in 2023. In 65 career minor-league appearances with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Blomqvist has a 2.38 GAA, .918 SV%, two shutouts, and a 33-21-10 record. He was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team and Second All-Star Team following the 2023-24 campaign.

There’s still ceiling in his game, but he’ll need to wait to show it as he enters the final season of his entry-level deal. The pending restricted free agent will carry a cap hit equal to the number of games he dressed for last season – not just the ones he played – divided by 82 and multiplied by his $866,667 cap hit.

Lightning Not Concerned About Andrei Vasilevskiy’s Availability For Regular Season

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There’s been something of a hullabaloo in Tampa Bay regarding the status – or lack of – surrounding star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. He’s not practicing today, marking a week since he was last on the ice with the club and four days since head coach Jon Cooper said he was being held out for “player management.”

Yesterday, Cooper told Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that “there’s every expectation Vasilevskiy will have enough time and game action to be ready for the regular-season opener Oct. 9 against Ottawa,” although he’s not expected to practice with the team again until Monday. The team has still been silent on what kind of injury he’s dealing with, or if he’s even dealing with an injury-related issue at all.

Vasilevskiy has rarely missed significant time in his 11-year career. The 31-year-old only has three absences of 10 or more games on record: 12 games due to blood clots while he was breaking into the league back in 2015-16, 14 games due to a foot fracture early in the 2018-19 season, and the first 20 games of the 2023-24 season after it became apparent during training camp he needed back surgery.

Nonetheless, Cooper’s comments earlier this week indicated the Lightning are at least beginning to develop concern about Vasilevskiy shouldering his usual workload in 2025-26. He’s started 60-plus games in three of the last four years – an extreme rarity in today’s NHL. Since Vasilevskiy took over as Tampa’s starter in the 2016-17 season, only Connor Hellebuyck (532) has more starts than Vasilevskiy’s 496.

Performance isn’t a huge concern. Vasilevskiy is coming off one of the more quietly dominant seasons of his career – and an important one for his legacy after his numbers dipped following his return from surgery in 2023-24. He rightfully finished second in Vezina Trophy voting after racking up a .921 SV% and 2.18 GAA, both his best marks in four years, in 63 starts – one short of his career-high.

Depth is, though. If the Bolts are intent on bringing Vasilevskiy back to the 55-start range, that would mean close to 30 appearances for seldom-used backup Jonas Johansson. The 30-year-old Swede has been one of the more consistently below-average names in the league since first breaking onto an NHL roster with the Sabres in 2019-20, logging a career .890 SV% and 3.30 GAA. That works out to 31.6 goals allowed above average over the course of his 70-start, 80-game career. When required to step in for Vasilevskiy during his back surgery recovery two years ago, he managed a 12-7-5 record in his 26 appearances but only had a .890 SV% and 3.37 GAA, working out to -8.9 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.

Injury Notes: Dobson, Reinbacher, Guhle, Rifai, Anderson

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Things are not going well for the Montreal Canadiens’ defense in their preseason contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening. After failing to appear on the bench for the third period of tonight’s game, the Canadiens announced that recently acquired Noah Dobson will not return, without specifying any injuries.

Shortly after, Senior Editor of RG Media, Marco D’Amico, shared that defenseman David Reinbacher had also gone to the dressing room with an apparent injury. Each of these injuries comes on the heels of Sportsnet’s Eric Engels report from earlier, that defenseman Kaiden Guhle was held out of tonight’s contest for maintenance purposes.

In all fairness, there were no specific injuries alluded to in any of the updates, and teams are quicker to pull players in preseason due to precautionary reasons. Still, it is cause for some concern as Montreal ramps up for the 2025-26 campaign. Despite earning a playoff spot last season, the Canadiens learned there’s little wiggle room in postseason eligibility in the Atlantic Division. Fortunately, even if there are mild injury concerns to start the new season, the Canadiens only have two matchups against postseason teams from a year ago in October.

Additional injury notes:

  • On the flip side of tonight’s contest, the Maple Leafs are also dealing with injury concerns on their blue line. During the game, Toronto announced that Marshall Rifai was removed due to an upper-body injury. Unlike his opponent counterparts, it was unlikely that Rifai would have cracked the Maple Leafs’ opening night roster regardless of availability. The Beaconsfield, Quebec native spent all of last year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, scoring three goals and 13 points in 67 contests.
  • Moving to another Original Six organization, any chance for the Chicago Blackhawks to gauge forward Joey Anderson’s potential for a depth role has passed. Earlier today, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reported that Anderson underwent a procedure for a chronic issue, which will cost him the rest of the preseason. Despite playing in 18 games for the Blackhawks last year, Anderson had long odds of making Chicago’s opening night roster, spending much of last season as an assistant captain with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

Capitals’ Clay Stevenson Possible Waiver Claim Candidate

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Kevin Weekes of ESPN noted earlier today that the Washington Capitals may be in danger of losing goaltender Clay Stevenson on waivers, as he has impressed in camp so far. 

Coming out of the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express, Stevenson went undrafted, ending up at Dartmouth College, where he posted a standout .922 save percentage and a 2.70 GAA in 2021-22. Such performance caught the eye of the Capitals, who signed him to an entry-level deal. Stevenson spent the next season mostly in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays before graduating to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he split duty with Hunter Shepard, winning the Calder Cup in 2024. 

The Alberta native made his NHL debut last April against Pittsburgh, a 5-2 defeat, despite making 33 saves. Having made a great impression in camp so far, and with a logjam in net as the Capitals have Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson set to hold things down, Stevenson has caught the eye of some teams, being just 26, with an impressive frame at 6’4″. 

Perhaps Stevenson could be of interest to two contenders who have missing pieces between the pipes, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights. Both teams are thought to be searching for stability in the net and have been linked to Carter Hart as well. Given Frederik Andersen’s ongoing health issues and Pyotr Kochetkov’s overall inconsistency, the Hurricanes are evaluating many options.

Cayden Primeau stands as an intriguing in-house choice for Carolina, having flashed potential in the past with the Canadiens, and was acquired for just a 7th-round pick in June. Nonetheless, perhaps the Hurricanes could take a flyer on the Capitals’ netminder as the latest in their revolving door of depth goalies.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are no strangers to seeking goaltenders either, as they also face uncertainty, being thin behind Adin Hill. Akira Schmid, acquired from New Jersey, looked great in a small sample size last season (just 5 games), but Stevenson could have appeal as their latest under-the-radar pick-up. 

Wherever any case, Stevenson is a name to watch as roster cuts loom.

East Notes: Panarin, Rempe, Kulich

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In today’s episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman discussed Artemi Panarin and his status with the Rangers. Somewhat quietly, amidst so much talk surrounding Connor McDavid, the 33-year-old Russian enters the final year of his seven-year, $77MM deal signed with the Blueshirts back in 2019. It is thought that the Rangers are looking for a discount for their star to stay in the Big Apple. 

Once the highest-paid winger in the league, now surpassed by Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner, Friedman noted that earlier in the summer, the Rangers had early discussions with Panarin on potentially taking a more team-friendly deal, similar to Anze Kopitar, who inked a two-year contract with an AAV of $7MM in 2023. 

Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic echoed Friedman’s thoughts, adding that the Rangers are in no rush with their star, only willing to move forward now if at a discount. Despite slightly regressing to 89 from his 120-point explosion in 2023-24, Panarin remains among the league’s elite and will have no shortage of suitors. With the Rangers already facing pressure to rebound from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, perhaps extra emphasis will be placed on their ability to keep Panarin happy.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Staying in New York, Matt Rempe discussed his goal to become a more complete hockey player, as told by Colin Stephenson of Newsday. “I want to turn into not being known as an enforcer,’’ Rempe said. “I want to be turned into, ‘This guy’s a really good young power forward… who also can fight.’” The 23-year-old has made an impression on new Head Coach Mike Sullivan, with his work ethic and strong skating. Rempe last netted double-digit goals as a 19-year-old with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, and has not notched more than 12 points in a season as a pro, but at 6 foot 9, 265 pounds, the Calgary native is certainly an imposing netfront presence, and has the right mindset to stick around in today’s game. 
  • Meanwhile, in Buffalo, young center Jiri Kulich was noted as having left the ice a few minutes into morning skate on Thursday, and is sidelined for the Sabres’ preseason tilt with Detroit. Head Coach Lindy Ruff said it was a muscle tweak, and Kulich is not expected to be out for more than a few days. 

Afternoon Notes: LaFontaine, Luukkonen, Predators

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The New York Islanders have announced that prolific centerman Pat LaFontaine will be inducted into the team’s Hall-of-Fame. LaFontaine spent eight years with the Islanders beginning in 1983, when New York drafted him third overall. He also spent seven years with New York state’s other NHL clubs – six years with the Buffalo Sabres, and one year with the New York Rangers. LaFontaine ended his career with 1,013 points in 865 games – enough to earn an induction into the NHL Hall Of Fame in 2003, alongside Grant Fuhr.

The Islanders managed to land the 1983 third overall selection in the midst of four consecutive Stanley Cup wins, after trading Dave Cameron and Bob Lorimer to the Colorado Rockies in 1981. The move proved to be franchise-defining, awarding them a young superstar in LaFontaine to help replace aging vets like Butch Goring. LaFontaine did just that, contributing 25 points in his first 31 NHL games to help push New York to a Stanley Cup Final loss in 1984 – and then taking reigns for the organization when Mike Bossy retired in 1987. LaFontaine’s 105 points in 1989-90 made him just one of four Islanders to break the century mark. He left Long Island with 566 points in 530 games – good for ninth in all-time scoring for the franchise.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned to the practice sheet after missing the start with a lower-body injury. He said he expects to be fully ready for the start of the season, and that his absence was due to a flare up with a minor injury late in the summer. His return will be great news for the Sabres, who seem set to roll out the 26-year-old as their starter for a third season. Luukkonen posted a stout .910 save percentage and 27-22-4 record in 54 games of the 2023-24 season; but fell to a .887 save percentage and 24-24-5 record last season. He’ll look to return to a positive record as he faces a similar workload this year.
  • Nashville Predators centerman Zachary L’Heureux is listed on the roster for a team scrimmage on Thursday, after missing the last few days with an injury. Defense prospects Tanner Molendyk and Cameron Reid also returned from injury ahead of the scrimmage. L’Heureux seems well set on earning a roster spot out of camp, while Molendyk will likely head to the AHL, and Reid would need a colossal performance to avoid a return to the OHL. The trio are three of Nashville’s top prospects – and should be exciting names to watch as they face off against organizational teammates in Thursday’s scrimmage.

Flyers’ Ethan Samson Out Long-Term, Three Out Day-To-Day

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The Philadelphia Flyers shared updates on four injured players on Thursday morning. Most notably, depth defenseman Ethan Samson is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with an upper-body injury. Samson appeared to be outside of the NHL roster as training camp went on, but he was a standout during the team’s rookie showcase. His absence will alter Philadelphia’s plans for building their minor-league defense through the season’s first couple of months.

Samson was a pivotal piece of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season. He led the team’s defense in goals (12) and ranked second in points (24). Both were substantial improvements over the three goals and 12 points that Samson managed as an AHL rookie in 2023-24. He’s proven to be a diligent offensive-defenseman in the minor ranks, with an impressive bit of grit behind his downhill drive. He appears close to earning a spot on Philadelphia’s call-up sheet, though will now need to wait until at least mid-season to see that through.

The Flyers also announced that defenseman Oliver Bonk, and forwards Karsen Dorwart and Lane Pederson, are all day-to-day with upper-body injuries.

Bonk has carried a day-to-day designation for a full week now. He has been on and off of the ice since Philadelphia’s rookie camp, both donning a non-contact jersey and in a regular jersey. Bonk played through 69 games last season, as the London Knights blazed to an OHL and Memorial Cup championship. It seems the Flyers’ top defense prospect is still working his way back to 100 percent – a factor that could default him to the AHL when the season opens up.

While a part of Philadelphia’s injury updates, Dorwart did briefly return to the ice on Thursday after missing the last few days. He played through the first five games of his NHL career at the end of last season, after signing with the Flyers as an undrafted college free agent. He didn’t manage any scoring in those appearances. Even still, with a strong return from injury, Dorwart could still be a candidate for a depth role when the Flyers break camp. Pederson, who was injured in Philadelphia’s last preseason game, will more likely start in the AHL. He appeared in 18 games and scored 12 points with the Bakersfield Condors last season, before a separate injury ended his campaign early.

Bruins Hire Zdeno Chara As Hockey Operations Advisor

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The Bruins are bringing longtime captain Zdeno Chara back to the organization in a formal capacity, today announcing they’ve named him a hockey operations advisor and mentor. His main roles “will include building relationships and strengthening communication between players and coaches, attending practices and home games, and providing off-ice development support to defensemen,” the team said. “He will also serve as a resource for the team’s development staff and make periodic visits to connect with prospects at the AHL level.”

He’s a notable past-to-present bridge as the Boston organization continues to embark on a retool, particularly as first-time head coach Marco Sturm takes the reins. Chara hasn’t played for the club since 2020, departing in free agency to spend his final two NHL seasons with the Capitals and Islanders, but he served as the club’s captain and leader on the blue line for all of his 1,023 games after landing there in free agency in 2006.

Being a hockey ops advisor, Chara will report to general manager Don Sweeney. He’ll essentially serve a tier below assistant GMs Evan Gold and Jamie Langenbrunner, although if he’s open to it, a promotion to be on par with them shouldn’t be too far off.

He’s the second longtime Bruins defenseman to transition into a front office role with the club this month. They also recently promoted Adam McQuaid, who played with Chara for most of the 2010s, to their director of player development.

Chara’s 1,023 games as a Bruin rank third in franchise history among rearguards, trailing Sweeney’s 1,052 and Ray Bourque’s 1,518. His 1,680 total games played, including stops in New York, Ottawa, and Washington, make him the league’s all-time games played leader among defenders. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in this year’s class, but the Bruins haven’t yet retired his No. 33 jersey.

Flyers Place Oscar Eklind On Waivers

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Waiver activity has been light today as teams are still carrying fairly large camp rosters into the second week of on-ice activities. Only three teams made placements today – one of them being the Flyers, who announced that winger Oscar Eklind has hit the wire as part of a larger round of cuts.

Eklind, 27, arrived in Philly as an undrafted free agent signing out of his native Sweden last summer. The 6’4″, 220-lb winger landed a one-year entry-level deal on the heels of a career-best campaign in the SHL with Luleå HF, putting together a 17-11–28 scoring line in 48 games.

That’s a relatively modest offensive line for an overseas addition in his mid-20s, but his potential upside largely stemmed from his size and hard-nosed play. Understandably, he didn’t have the most productive year in the minors last season upon arriving in North America. Eklind suited up 64 times for AHL Lehigh Valley, limited to five goals and 17 assists for 22 points.

The Flyers liked what they saw, though. Not only was it enough for them to bring him back, it was enough for them to give him an extension before reaching RFA status – a one-way deal at that – to pay him an $800K salary in 2025-26 even if he ended up back in the minors. That was presumably more than he would have made returning to Sweden, so he’ll be set for another year as a farmhand in Lehigh Valley in the likely event he clears waivers tomorrow. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

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