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Injury Notes: Beniers, Landeskog, IceHogs

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The Seattle Kraken are in the midst of what is shaping up to be the best season in their (admittedly brief) franchise history. Powered by a balanced scoring attack and a well-rounded defense, the team currently sits at the top of the Pacific Division. One of the major individual success stories the team has had this season has been with rookie center Matty Beniers. Playing as a first-line center is one of the most difficult roles any NHL player can be asked to occupy, and can be extremely challenging for a young player or rookie to be able to handle. Beniers, who has scored 17 goals and 36 points in 47 games this season, has been extremely impressive, so much so that he was named to the All-Star Game.

His participation in next weekend’s festivities has been cast into doubt, though. Coach Dave Hakstol said that Beniers, who suffered an injury following a hit on Wednesday, could be considered “day-to-day.” Per Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times, Beniers will miss the team’s next two games and his status for the All-Star Game is in question.

Some other injury updates:

  • Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season so far recovering from injury, and still isn’t quite close to returning. That doesn’t mean he isn’t inching closer, though. The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports that there is a “tentative plan” in place for Landeskog to “start skating under team supervision after the NHL All-Star break.” Getting Landeskog back in time for the stretch run of the season would come as a huge boost to an Avalanche team that has dealt with major injury issues this season.
  • The Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, announced two major injury updates today. Firstly, the team announced that veteran forward Garrett Mitchell will be out for the season after undergoing left shoulder surgery. Secondly, the team revealed that Buddy Robinson would miss up to six weeks with a wrist fracture. Both Mitchell, the IceHogs’ captain, and Robinson are on expiring contracts, so one hopes that they can have positive recoveries and get back to full health in time to secure a quality contract for next season.

Ottawa Senators Recall Jacob Larsson

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The Ottawa Senators have announced the recall of defenseman Jacob Larsson from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. The move adds a seventh defenseman to the Senators’ roster and leaves the team with a full active 23-man unit.

Larsson, 25, heads to the Senators’ roster with a chance to play in some more NHL games. He’s gotten three games in Ottawa so far this season, averaged just under 13 minutes of ice time in those games. The 2015 first-round pick arrived in Ottawa over the summer, signing a one-year, two-way league minimum deal with a relatively hefty $300K AHL salary.

Larsson’s play in the AHL has been somewhat uneven. While he’s managed to contribute on both special teams, he hasn’t been able to have the top-of-the-lineup impact many would hope he’d have at this stage of his career in the AHL. He’s scored nine points in 33 games this season, and as can be seen here is often playing on Belleville’s bottom pairing.

In Ottawa, the Senators are hoping to put together a quality run of games to get them into the playoff hunt so they can play meaningful hockey in the spring. While this recall of Larsson adds a seventh defenseman to their roster which gives them some valuable reinforcement, the team is likely better off if Larsson remains depth rather than a counted-on contributor to coach D.J. Smith’s blueline equation.

For Larsson, this recall presents an opportunity. While his AHL performance isn’t going to wow people, strong performance on an NHL stage could go a long way toward earning him his next contract. As things currently stand, the Senators will have a chance to retain Larsson beyond this season as he’ll be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.

Matthew Peca Clears Waivers

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Jan 27: Peca has cleared waivers and can continue to play with the Thunderbirds.

Jan 26: Two players are coming off injured reserve for the St. Louis Blues. Robert Bortuzzo is joining the active roster, while Matthew Peca, who has been on season-opening injured reserve, has been placed on waivers according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets.

Peca, 29, has spent the last two weeks on a conditioning loan to the AHL, where he recorded five points in six games for the Springfield Thunderbirds. His placement on waivers today allows him to continue playing for the minor league club, but requires activation from IR.

Of course, another team could also claim the depth forward. Through parts of several seasons, Peca has totaled 83 NHL games and scored 21 points. Last season for St. Louis he suited up just five times but was outstanding for the Thunderbirds, scoring 23 goals and 60 points in 68 games.

Bortuzzo, meanwhile, last played on January 7 and has appeared in 30 games for the Blues this season. The veteran defender has just one point in those games and averages 12 minutes a night in a very specific role.

Activating him now will give the Blues a bit more toughness and depth on the back end, but shouldn’t have much of an impact on their overall play. With him on the roster, the Blues are now carrying eight defensemen. Calle Rosen was the scratch in the team’s most recent game.

St. Louis Blues Recall Nikita Alexandrov; Reassign Tyler Tucker

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After activating Robert Bortuzzo yesterday, the St. Louis Blues ended up with eight healthy defensemen on the roster. That was never going to last long, and today they’ve solved the problem by sending Tyler Tucker to the AHL. Nikita Alexandrov has been recalled in his place.

Tucker, 22, has played in 12 games for the Blues this season, showing he’s much more than the average seventh-round pick. The young defenseman has just one point but rarely looks overmatched, and should likely play a role on the team in the future.

For now, though, he’ll rejoin the Springfield Thunderbirds where he has 13 points in 25 games.

Alexandrov, 22, continues his yo-yo season, coming back up after just a few days. The young forward has four points in 16 games so far and should also get a bigger look down the stretch, especially if the Blues end up selling at the deadline. The 2019 second-round pick has 12 goals and 20 points in 23 games with the Thunderbirds.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Seattle Kraken Recall Max McCormick; Place Justin Schultz On IR

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The Seattle Kraken have moved Justin Schultz to injured reserve, as he deals with a week-to-week designation. In his place, Max McCormick has been recalled from the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

McCormick’s recall will cast doubt on the status of Matty Beniers, who was injured last night after Tyler Myers of the Vancouver Canucks threw him to the ice. Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times reports that Beniers wasn’t available for the third period.

That’s not to say the recall is undeserved. McCormick has been outstanding for Coachella, serving as captain and scoring 42 points in 38 games so far. The 30-year-old journeyman minor leaguer has transformed his game over the years, going from a physical instigator to a legitimate top-line AHL talent.

We’ll see if some of his former self appears in the NHL though. In 93 career NHL games, McCormick has 97 penalty minutes, including nine fighting majors. In ten appearances last season for the Kraken he failed to score a point.

Arizona Coyotes Reassign Milos Kelemen

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Jan 26: After making his NHL debut, Kelemen is on his way back to the minor leagues. He played just over ten minutes, recorded three hits and generated one shot on goal.

Jan 24: Last spring, the Arizona Coyotes reached an agreement with a young, undrafted forward who had found success all over Europe. Milos Kelemen signed a two-year, entry-level contract and came over to North America for his first taste of AHL action.

Now, Kelemen has been recalled to the NHL, after 39 relatively strong games with the Tucson Roadrunners.

Part of the historic Slovakian Olympic team that earned their first hockey medal last year, the 23-year-old Kelemen has 20 points in 39 games for the Roadrunners this season. The Coyotes opened some room by sending Michael Carcone back to the minors yesterday, though Matias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse are also expected to return soon from injury.

It remains to be seen whether Kelemen will actually get into a game, but he represents another chance that the Coyotes front office is willing to take as they search everywhere for young assets. Eventually, the odds are good that they will find a hidden gem to add to their stable of high draft picks.

Calgary Flames Recall Dennis Gilbert

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With Chris Tanev out for at least the next couple of games, the Calgary Flames have recalled Dennis Gilbert from the minor leagues.

It’s a nice reward for Gilbert, who was recently handed a two-game suspension by the AHL for an illegal check to the head. He already served the ban, but it wouldn’t have stopped him from being recalled to the NHL anyway.

Now, he’ll join the Flames ahead of their match against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, the first half of a back-to-back situation. Calgary is due to play in Seattle tomorrow, before heading into the All-Star break.

Gilbert has played in eight games so far, averaging just over ten minutes a game. That comes along with four fighting majors, a role he’ll likely step right back into for the Flames during this stretch.

Ottawa Senators Recall Kevin Mandolese

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The Ottawa Senators lost Cam Talbot partway through last night’s game, and according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, the veteran netminder will be out at least through the All-Star break. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only goaltender in the Senators organization dealing with an injury.

Both Antoine Bibeau and Mads Sogaard are hurt, meaning the only recall option was Kevin Mandolese. Garrioch reports that Anton Forsberg is expected to make both starts of the upcoming back-to-back in Toronto and Ottawa.

Mandolese, 22, hasn’t appeared in the NHL yet, and is barely even holding onto an AHL spot. Through 12 games with the Belleville Senators, he has posted an .886 save percentage. That performance has earned him some extra time in the ECHL, where he has a .927 in six games.

In short, he’s not who the Senators need in the crease right now as they continue to try and compete in the Atlantic Division. Forsberg will have to try and take down the Maple Leafs and Canadiens on his own, and the club will have to hope that Talbot can return soon after the break.

Winnipeg Jets Activate Logan Stanley

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The Winnipeg Jets have activated defenseman Logan Stanley from injured reserve today, according to a team tweet. In a corresponding transaction, the Jets reassigned youngster Ville Heinola to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Associate coach Scott Arniel told reporters last weekend that Stanley could return on Tuesday, and it turns out he was correct. The roster move suggests Stanley will be ready to go when Winnipeg takes on the Nashville Predators in an important divisional matchup tonight.

A pair of lower-body injuries have limited Stanley to seven NHL games this season, recording one assist in just 13:34 of ice time per game. He’s been on injured reserve with a lower-body injury since December 11 and missed 18 games earlier in the season with a fractured foot.

He’ll have to fight for minutes with another 24-year-old left-shot defenseman: Dylan Samberg. Samberg has impressed defensively in his first steady NHL season, is averaging over 15 minutes per game, and has eight points in 37 games.

Heinola, Winnipeg’s 2019 first-round pick, continues to scratch and claw for NHL time in Winnipeg. He’s played in just 10 out of Winnipeg’s 48 games and has been given little opportunity, playing 13:16 per game and recording one assist. The 21-year-old returns to Manitoba, where he has 11 points and a staggering +17 rating in just 14 games.

Detroit Red Wings Activate, Reassign Matt Luff

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In November, Juraj Slafkovsky was given a two-game suspension for boarding. Unfortunately, the player he hit, Matt Luff of the Detroit Red Wings, was out much longer.

Luff needed wrist surgery and hasn’t played since. Today, he was activated by the Red Wings from injured reserve and loaned to the AHL. Despite playing seven games in the NHL, he remains waiver-exempt for the time being.

Through seven games this season, the depth forward was averaging just over eight minutes a game and had scored one goal. In the AHL, where he has always been excellent, he had seven points in five contests.

The Grand Rapids Griffins could certainly use his help. They sit 15-19-4 on the year and have only scored 103 goals in 38 games.

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