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Snapshots: Miller, Swayman, Blackwood, Orlov

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The Boston Bruins’ signing of defense prospect Mitchell Miller earlier this week surprised many, however given the nature of the signing, his eligibility to play in the AHL, where Boston intended to place him, or the NHL, where they hope he can play someday, was presumed. Earlier today, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman walked back those assumptions saying, in short, that Miller is not currently NHL eligible and may never be NHL eligible. Substack’s Sean Shapiro, in turn, reached out to the AHL for comment, who have yet to determine his eligibility because as they said, the defenseman is currently suspended in the NHL. Not surprisingly, this story continues to have frequently-changing developments, and this evening, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski shed more light on the current situation.

According to Wyshynski, the NHLPA tells ESPN that the league has not informed the union of any suspension against Miller or anything that would impact his eligibility. The NHLPA added that “there needs to be more info provided by NHL” as it relates to Bettman’s comments. Wyshynski adds that, per a source, Miller’s contract had been registered with the NHL and there was nothing official to stop the Bruins, or any other team, from signing him. This story is, of course, a difficult one for many reasons, however it is worth considering that, despite Miller’s past, he does gain certain rights within the NHL when he signs an official contract. Further, however the situation as to Miller plays out, it could have an impact on how future similar situations play out. Thus, a diligent, drawn-out review and discussion of all issues may be coming before anything is finalized.

  • The recent injury status of the Bruins hasn’t changed much in the past couple days. Recently, it was reported that goaltender Jeremy Swayman would be out week-to-week, while veteran center David Krejci was due back in the lineup tonight. Krejci is in fact playing tonight, however the Bruins did need to activate the center off of IR, which necessitated a corresponding move. In order to add Krejci, Boston has placed Swayman on IR, says The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, who covers the team. Head coach Jim Montgomery, to avoid creating any additional concerns possibly raised by the transaction, reiterated to reporters, including Shinzawa, that Swayman is still considered week-to-week.
  • As relayed by New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein, head coach Lindy Ruff says that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood will be seen by doctors back in New Jersey on Tuesday. Blackwood, who was injured in New Jersey’s 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, had met with doctors in Calgary yesterday ahead of the team’s game against the Flames this evening. In response to the injury, but without wanting to place Blackwood on IR, at least not yet, the Devils recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from the AHL earlier today, sending down winger Andreas Johnsson. The Devils return home after tonight’s game and will next play at home Tuesday evening against these same Calgary Flames.
  • Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury and is questionable to return, the team announced. It’s unclear what exactly caused the injury to Orlov, however he has played just 7:02 thus far as the Capitals lead the Arizona Coyotes 1-0 late in the second period.

Devils Recall Akira Schmid, Send Andreas Johnsson To AHL

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With Mackenzie Blackwood suffering a lower-body injury while stretching across to make a stop against Edmonton on Thursday, the Devils needed a second goaltender.  That second netminder will be Akira Schmid as the team announced today (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Utica.  To make room for him on the roster, winger Andreas Johnsson has been sent down to the Comets.

The 22-year-old Schmid has played in four games so far this season with Utica, posting a 1.97 GAA along with a .918 SV%, numbers that are considerably better than the ones that Nico Daws has put up so far which helped Schmid earn the nod.  He does have a bit of NHL experience having played in six games with the Devils last season but he struggled in those appearances to the tune of a 4.83 GAA and a save percentage of just .833.  Vitek Vanecek will likely get the bulk of the workload until Blackwood is able to return and no timeline has been provided on that front yet.

As for Johnsson, the 27-year-old actually had the second-best year of his career last season with New Jersey, collecting 13 goals and 22 points in 71 games.  However, with a $3.4MM AAV and a tenuous hold on a roster spot, the Devils correctly predicted that he’d pass through waivers unclaimed last month, allowing him to be shuffled back and forth as roster needs warrant.  He hasn’t played with the Devils this season and has six points in four games with the Comets so far.

Kings Recall Rasmus Kupari

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Saturday: Kupari’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the team announced that he has been recalled from Ontario and will be with the team for practice later today.

Friday: The Los Angeles Kings have sent Rasmus Kupari back to the minor leagues, as they return home for four games. Kupari was recalled on October 29 and is still waiver-exempt.

Now 22, the 2018 first-round pick has played in four games this season and recorded one assist. His play in the minor leagues has been inspiring, but it hasn’t turned into a regular spot in this year’s lineup. In 2021-22 he played 57 games and appeared to have taken the next step but with the emergence of other young players and the offseason acquisitions, the Kings’ roster is filled with talented forwards.

Even in the games he did play, Kupari only averaged 11:21 of ice time and not a single second on the powerplay. As a pending restricted free agent, this could have been a perfect platform year for the young forward. But unless something changes, it appears he’ll be heading into offseason negotiations without any legitimate NHL success.

The Kings are back in action tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers.

St. Louis Blues Activate Keean Washkurak, Assign To AHL

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As first reported by CapFriendly, the St. Louis Blues have removed prospect forward Keean Washkurak from their season-opening injured-reserve list, and assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Washkurak had left wrist surgery after being injured in the preseason and is now ready to begin his sophomore professional campaign.

The 21-year-old forward was the Blues’ fifth-round choice at the 2019 draft and made his full professional debut last season with the Thunderbirds. A solid top-six forward at the junior level, Washkurak played in a bottom-six role last season and scored a healthy 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games. Washkurak also got some looks on the team’s power play, although he was not a major contributor there.

Now 21 years old and fully in the professional phase of his development, this season will go a long way in determining if an NHL future is in the cards for Washkurak. That makes his return to health after missing just eight of the Thunderbirds’ games so important.

Springfield has gotten off to an uneven start so far in the AHL, with a 4-3-1 record, and they will hope that Washkurak returning to their lineup can help them find the form they showed last season when they made a run to the Calder Cup Final.

Florida Panthers Recall Aleksi Heponiemi

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According to the team, the Florida Panthers have recalled forward Aleksi Heponiemi from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers ahead of tomorrow’s road game in Los Angeles.

The 23-year-old forward signed a one-year, two-way contract extension last July to remain with the team that drafted him. Heponiemi was the 40th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and proceeded to have a spectacular post-draft career in both the WHL and the Liiga before turning pro in North America. Although his offensive success hasn’t quite translated yet to the NHL (he has a goal and two assists in 15 career games), there’s still some development time left in the tank for Heponiemi.

The move comes with Patric Hornqvist and Colin White both sidelined with upper-body injuries, leaving the team with just 11 healthy forwards. Heponiemi had four points in his first six games with Charlotte.

Assuming no line changes occur in Hornqvist’s absence, Heponiemi could slot in on the wing and make a Finnish trio with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell.

Ottawa Senators Recall Jacob Bernard-Docker

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The Ottawa Senators lost again last night, despite outshooting the Vegas Golden Knights 46-32, and have decided to shake up their roster. The team has recalled prospect Jacob Bernard-Docker from the AHL, giving them a new look on defense.

Just this week, head coach D.J. Smith explained that Bernard-Docker’s development in the minor leagues was important, even as the team was dealing with an injury to Artem Zub. Today, after watching the team give up five goals in the first half of last night’s game, he has been recalled.

Whether he ends up in the lineup right away is unclear, but the two most likely candidates to come out are Nikita Zaitsev and Erik Brannstrom. Both played fewer than 18 minutes last night, with Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, and Travis Hamonic taking the brunt of the responsibility.

Bernard-Docker, 22, has 13 games of NHL experience under his belt since signing out of the University of North Dakota, including eight last year. In eight games for the Belleville Senators this year he has just one point. The right-shot defenseman was selected 26th overall in 2018.

Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Nick Blankenburg

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Ahead of today’s game in Finland, the Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Nick Blankenburg from injured reserve. The move meant Gavin Bayreuther has been assigned to the AHL, though he took morning skate with the team overseas so won’t be playing for the Cleveland Monsters tonight.

Blankenburg, 24, missed several games with an elbow injury and will go directly back into the lineup. He was skating next to Vladislav Gavrikov on the second pair yesterday. The undrafted defenseman had two points in his first three games of the season before exiting early in number four, and appears to be a nice find for the club. Signed out of the University of Michigan, he now has five points in his career and will look to build on that number in Finland today.

The club takes on the Colorado Avalanche as part of the Global Series, allowing Patrik Laine to suit up in his hometown of Tampere. Bayreuther, 28, won’t get a chance to experience that and will have to go back to the Monsters when they return to North America. The minor league veteran was scoreless in his one NHL appearance this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Wayne Simmonds

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have made another roster change, recalling Wayne Simmonds from the minor leagues and assigning Filip Kral back to the AHL. The move comes in advance of Timothy Liljegren’s expected return tomorrow night.

It also follows an incident against the Philadelphia Flyers where Auston Matthews was involved in a scrum. When Travis Konecny tried to fight the Maple Leafs superstar, Michael Bunting and (especially) Mark Giordano stepped in to defend him. Simmonds, of course, is known more for his physicality than his offensive prowess at this point in his career, and could be inserted back into the lineup to give Toronto a little more bite.

Kral, 23, made his NHL debut and appeared in two games during his recall, averaging just under ten minutes of ice time. The fifth-round pick might be a decent depth piece for the team but it is obvious that head coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t trust him to play a regular shift, meaning Liljegren’s return will be a welcome sight for Maple Leafs fans.

Nashville Predators Recall Mark Jankowski

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After Kiefer Sherwood cleared waivers, the Nashville Predators made an interesting roster swap. Mark Jankowski has been recalled from the AHL, with Sherwood going down in his place.

Jankowski, 28, was once a regular in the NHL, scoring 31 goals and 57 points over his first two seasons with the Calgary Flames. The first-round pick appeared to be a solid middle-six forward that could chip in offensively and use his 6’4″ frame to add some physicality.

It’s been several years since that was the case though, and Jankowski spent more time last season in the minor leagues than in the NHL. This year he settled for a one-year, two-way contract with the Predators that came with a huge minor league guarantee, suggesting that he would be spending most of his time with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Now, after scoring five goals and nine points in his first seven AHL games, Jankowski will join the big club as an extra forward. Whether he gets another chance to get his NHL career back on track remains to be seen but he couldn’t have done much more for Milwaukee to begin his year.

Kiefer Sherwood Clears Waivers

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Nov 3: Sherwood has cleared, and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Nov 2: Not every NHL season will have two Kief(f)ers placed on waivers. After Kieffer Bellows was claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this year, Nashville Predators forward Kiefer Sherwood now finds himself on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets.

Sherwood, 27, made the Predators roster rather unexpectedly out of training camp and has played in five games so far with the team. He has one goal (the first goal of the NHL season) and two points, but had found his way to the press box recently. After being re-inserted into the lineup yesterday and receiving just 9:18 of ice time, it appears as though he’s headed for the minor leagues.

Undrafted, Sherwood has 92 NHL games under his belt and was one of the AHL’s most dangerous players a year ago. He set new career highs with 36 goals and 75 points in 57 games for the Colorado Eagles, and appeared to be in the mix for full-time NHL minutes.

If someone claims him, that could still be possible, but given the face that he cleared twice last season, he’s probably headed to the minors.

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