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West Notes: Predators, Pietrangelo, Oettinger

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The Nashville Predators home game tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks will go on as scheduled after a water main break in the arena forced the team to postpone their Friday and Saturday night games. While team president Sean Henry said that “most fan-facing amenities will be functional,” he noted that the complete extent of repairs and restorations to Bridgestone will take months.

The league has yet to reschedule Nashville’s missed games against Colorado and Columbus, but Bridgestone will get a bit of a break on the hockey side soon. While there are occasional concerts there, Nashville’s home game against Anaheim is their last until December 9.

  • According to the team, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo didn’t suit up for tonight’s game against Columbus for personal reasons. Pietrangelo is having an electric start to his third season in Vegas with 21 points through 23 games. Hopefully, everything is well with Pietrangelo and his family.
  • Jake Oettinger was expected to start tonight for the Dallas Stars, but he’ll be relegated to a backup role as he deals with an illness, according to the team. He’s run into a bit of a cold streak his past few games, with his season totals dropping to a still very respectable .917 save percentage and 2.52 goals-against average. He’ll likely start in Dallas’ next matchup against Anaheim on December 1.

Ducks Activate Derek Grant Off Injured Reserve, Place Max Comtois On IR

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The Ducks will have a bit of extra help up front as they get set to take on Seattle tonight.  Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter link) that center Derek Grant has been activated off injured reserve and will suit up against the Kraken.  He’ll take the place of rookie winger Pavol Regenda.

The 32-year-old has been out for a little over three weeks due to an upper-body injury.  Prior to sustaining it, Grant had played in 11 games, picking up a goal and an assist while logging heavy minutes shorthanded; his 2:39 of ice time per game in that situation is second among Anaheim forwards behind only Jakob Silfverberg.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Grant is the type of depth forward that tends to be moved closer to the trade deadline as someone that can kill penalties, play both down the middle and on the wing, and is affordable on the cap (he carries a $1.5MM AAV).  With the Ducks appearing to be well on the path towards selling over the next few months, Grant figures to be on the move at some point but he’ll give Anaheim a boost in the bottom six in the meantime now that he’s healthy.

It’s not all good news on the injury front for the Ducks, however, as Dillman also notes that blueliner John Klingberg will miss his second straight game due to a lower-body injury.  It has been a tough start to the season for the veteran who was looking to rebuild some value after not getting the type of contract he was seeking in free agency last summer.  Instead, he has just one goal in 20 games and will be out of the lineup a little longer.

Meanwhile, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Max Comtois has been placed on injured reserve.  He has been out for the last two weeks due to a lower-body injury which allows Anaheim to backdate the placement.  Accordingly, he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s healthy.  Comtois has four goals in 15 games so far this season.

Anaheim Ducks Assign Urho Vaakanainen On Conditioning Loan

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The Anaheim Ducks have assigned defenseman Urho Vaakanainen to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls on a long-term injury conditioning loan, according to the team.

It’s a great sign for Vaakanainen and his playing future that he’s able to give it a go in the minors on a short-term basis. The young defenseman has already had an injury-plagued career, and potentially his scariest injury came in a September 30 preseason game against the San Jose Sharks. Vaakanainen left the contest on a stretcher after a collision caused his head to hit the boards.

Today, it was reported that Vaakanainen had resumed practicing. It’s unclear when he’ll play in his first game with San Diego, but as he’s just returned to the ice, don’t expect it to be right away.

Vaakanainen, a stout defensive prospect, was one of the main pieces in the return from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Hampus Lindholm at last season’s trade deadline. The 2017 first-round pick eclipsed 10 NHL games for the first time in 2021-22 and remained in the league full-time with Anaheim after the trade. He had two assists in 14 games, even working his way into a top-four role.

The Ducks weren’t great last season defensively, and they haven’t demonstrated any improvement this season either. Whether or not Vaakanainen can make a material difference to the team’s porous play remains to be seen, but he would allow the team to relieve some less NHL-ready players.

Urho Vaakanainen Returns To Practice

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  • Ducks defenseman Urho Vaakanainen has resumed practicing as he works his way back from an injury sustained late in the preseason, relays Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register. He was injured at the end of September when he went crashing into the boards where he had to be stretchered off the ice.  There’s still no firm timeline for his return but the fact he’s now skating with the team suggests he should be back sooner than later.  He’d be a welcome addition to an Anaheim back end that has struggled so far this season; the 23-year-old logged more than 19 minutes a game after joining them at the trade deadline a year ago.

Austin Strand Returned To AHL

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With the Anaheim Ducks now at home for the next three games, they’ve reduced their roster again. Austin Strand has been returned to the minor leagues after playing fewer than 12 minutes on Monday night.

The team dressed seven defensemen that game, with Max Comtois still dealing with a lower-body injury and Pavol Regenda sitting out. Strand’s assignment suggests that one of those things will change for tonight’s home tilt against the New York Rangers. The Ducks will be playing in Anaheim for the next three, meaning they don’t need extra bodies hanging around instead of suiting up with the San Diego Gulls.

Strand, 25, has barely seen the ice whenever he does dress for the Ducks, and has failed to register a point in his five appearances. The minor league veteran has only 26 games of NHL experience under his belt and is an unlikely candidate for more playing time moving forward.

Although, if the Ducks do decide to sell at the deadline, perhaps Strand will be one of the beneficiaries. The defensive trio of John Klingberg, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Dmitry Kulikov are some of the most likely trade chips, meaning someone will have to be patrolling the blue line down the stretch.

Latest On Anaheim Ducks

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At last season’s trade deadline, Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek decided to sell, and sell hard. Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Rickard Rakell all went out the door, changing the makeup of the dressing room considerably. Those three had been with the team for years and made up a good part of their core.

Now, less than a year into Verbeek’s tenure, the club is flailing at the bottom of the NHL standings and appears to be poised for another selling season. The Ducks are dead last in the league with a -30 goal differential and have just five wins through 18 games.

On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman discusses the Ducks and suggests that they are already talking to a number of teams about potential trades.

I’m sure we’re going to start hearing a lot of things out of the Ducks. Like I said, I heard they have a lot of people out looking to see what’s out there. 

One of those connections is Toronto Maple Leafs and Frank Vatrano, though Friedman pours some cold water on that scenario because of the cap hit involved – Vatrano is signed through the 2024-25 season with a $3.65MM hit.

There are plenty of other names on the Ducks roster that could be of interest to teams though. John Klingberg, Kevin Shattenkirk, Dmitry Kulikov, Derek Grant, Nathan Beaulieu, and Anthony Stolarz are all pending unrestricted free agents, while younger names like Max Comtois and Simon Benoit are set to reach RFA status. Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg have a year remaining after this one before they hit the open market, though they may need to see some salary retention to be moved this season.

One thing to remember when it comes to the Ducks is that the team has all three salary retention slots available, meaning they could be involved in some creative trades over the next few months. The team already has six selections in the top three rounds for the upcoming draft, and will likely be in contention for the first-overall pick.

With some young talent already in place, the idea of a fast-tracked rebuild has to be running through the mind of Verbeek and his staff. He’ll certainly be a popular number as we move through the year.

Anaheim Ducks Activate Kevin Shattenkirk

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Good news this evening on the injury front for the struggling Anaheim Ducks, as the team announced it has activated defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk off of injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game in St. Louis against the Blues. As well as activating Shattenkirk, Anaheim has re-assigned defenseman Drew Helleson to the San Diego Gulls, their AHL affiliate. The moves leave Anaheim with 22 players on their roster.

Getting Shattenkirk back into the lineup isn’t exactly a game-breaker for Anaheim, who comes into tonight with a 5-11-1 record, however reinserting the veteran onto a young team should pay some dividends. As the team tries to put their rebuild in the rearview mirror, lead by an exciting young core, players like Shattenkirk will be vital to bring their reliable play and influence the next generation. Still worth noting, the 33-year-old isn’t just a source of veteran leadership, having found new life on the blueline with Anaheim, playing a well-rounded defensive game, as compared to the offensive powerhouse he was in his earlier days.

As for Helleson, who was recalled earlier this week, he’ll have to wait a while longer for his first taste of NHL game action. The 47th overall selection of the 2019 draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Helleson was dealt to Anaheim last season in the deal for Josh Manson. Soon after being dealt, Helleson signed his ELC with Anaheim and made his pro debut with San Diego. In 13 AHL games to start this season, Helleson has a goal and an assist

Sasha Pastujov Traded In OHL

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We are, presumably, still a few months away from the NHL’s blockbuster trading season, however the hot stove in the WHL, QMJHL, and OHL is red hot, with a few blockbusters already completed. The OHL’s Sarnia Sting managed to make one of their own tonight too, acquiring forward and Anaheim Ducks prospect Sasha Pastujov from the Guelph Storm. Heading back to Guelph will be forward Max Namestnikov along with a 2022 second-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick, and 2026 fifth -round pick, all in the OHL draft.

Pastujov, 19, was a third-round selection by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft, who has put up massive numbers for Sarnia since joining them after a stint with the USNTDP prior. In just 14 games to start this season, Pastujov has 11 goals and eight assists, building on his sensational 2021-22 campaign where he recorded 34 goals and 42 assists in 65 games.

Anaheim Ducks Place Nathan Beaulieu On IR

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Shortly after placing defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk on IR, the Anaheim Ducks have placed fellow blueliner Nathan Beaulieu on IR as well, according to CapFriendly and the team’s roster page. No corresponding move was announced and the team now has 22 of 23 players on its roster. Recent recalls of defensemen Drew Helleson and Austin Strand still give Anaheim a comfortable seven defensemen on their roster.

It’s unclear what’s ailing Beaulieu at this time, however the defenseman has missed Anaheim’s last three games, including tonight’s contest at the Winnipeg Jets, with an undisclosed injury. When healthy, the veteran depth defenseman has played, recording two assists in 10 games thus far for a young and struggling team.

A first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2011, Beaulieu has made a career as a solid, experienced defenseman capable of giving teams minutes in whatever role he’s asked to play. Anaheim signed him to a one-year, $850K deal back on October 1st to add an additional veteran presence to a fairly inexperienced defense core. In his absence, the Ducks will have to rely on younger options such as Helleson or Strand to make up the minutes, however that exposure for younger players, while keeping Beaulieu’s influence around could be a silver lining in the meantime.

Anaheim Ducks Make Three Roster Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks have made three roster moves, announcing the recall of defenseman Drew Helleson, the activation of forward Sam Carrick off of the injured non-roster list, and the placement of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk on injured reserve.

The moves put Helleson in line to potentially make his NHL debut with just 32 professional games on his resume.

Shattenkirk, 33, heads to injured reserve for the first time in his Ducks career. The former All-Star blueliner has been remarkably healthy as a Duck, although he did face significant injury issues as a member of the New York Rangers, issues that contributed to the Rangers’ expensive decision to buy him out of his $6.65MM AAV deal.

Shattenkirk is out with a lower-body injury, and since he last played on 11/9 the Ducks have the opportunity to make his injury reserve placement retroactive to that date.

Shattenkirk’s injury fill-in on the Ducks’ blueline is the 21-year-old Helleson. As mentioned, Helleson doesn’t have an NHL game on his resume, although he has been among the San Diego Gulls’ most heavily-utilized defensemen so far this season.

While Helleson has just two points in AHL 13 games so far this year, Helleson has been a valuable minute-muncher and penalty-killer in San Diego. He could find his way into the Ducks’ lineup if coach Dallas Eakins prefers a more defensively-oriented look to his lineup.

As for Carrick, the 30-year-old veteran has been a member of the Ducks’ organization since the 2016-17 season and spent last season as an NHL regular, the first year in his career where he did so.

Carrick scored 11 goals and 19 points in 64 games last season and won fans over with his physical style, his work ethic, and his ability to pitch in a goal here and there. His activation puts him in line to make his season debut for Anaheim.

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