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Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On IR, Recall Nick Blankenburg

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The Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Vancouver.  The team announced that they have placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve with an upper-body injury; taking his place on the roster is Nick Blankenburg who has been recalled from AHL Cleveland.

Boqvist was injured in Thursday’s victory over Calgary when he took a puck to the face on the bench.  Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner lost teeth and something worse as a result.  Boqvist is in the middle of a rough season as injuries and scratches have limited him to just 20 games where he has seven assists.  Last season, the 23-year-old looked to turn the corner offensively with 24 points in 46 contests but he just hasn’t been able to get back to that type of performance this year.  There’s no word on how long Boqvist will be out with the team simply saying that he’s out through the All-Star break.

Blankenburg, meanwhile, was a full-timer on the roster for Columbus last season though he missed time due to injury.  This year, however, he has primarily played in the minors, suiting up in 19 games for the Monsters where he has three goals and nine assists.  The 25-year-old has played in six games with the Blue Jackets, averaging nearly 18 minutes a night.  This is his final season of waiver exemption.

Columbus recently sent David Jiricek back to Cleveland so it might be a bit surprising that he didn’t get the promotion to return.  However, with Jiricek’s ice time being limited lately, it might be more beneficial to have an extended stretch with the Monsters where he’ll get big minutes consistently over being sent back and forth as injuries come and go.

Injury Updates: Jarnkrok, Islanders, Red Wings, Amadio

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The Maple Leafs will be without Calle Jarnkrok for the foreseeable future as David Alter of The Hockey News mentions that the winger will be out week-to-week with a fractured knuckle.  The injury was sustained in practice on Friday.  Jarnkrok has been a valuable and versatile middle-six player this season, playing in a variety of roles while chipping in with ten goals and nine assists through 46 games.  Tyler Bertuzzi returns to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game due to the birth of his child while Ryan Reaves will play his first game in six weeks, replacing the injured Bobby McMann.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). He took an elbow to the head from Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher on Thursday, a hit that landed Gallagher a five-game suspension.  Injuries have limited the 29-year-old to just 29 of 48 games this season, where he has four assists and 42 blocked shots while logging over 19 minutes a night.  Gross adds that winger Hudson Fasching is also listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury.   The 28-year-old also left Thursday’s game early after less than three minutes of ice time.  After collecting 19 points in 49 games last season, Fasching hasn’t been able to put up similar numbers so far, notching just three goals and five helpers in 35 games.
  • Ben Chiarot’s upper-body injury will hold him out of Detroit’s lineup through the All-Star break, notes 97.1 The Ticket’s Daniella Bruce (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury.  He’s in his second season with the Red Wings and has a dozen points in 45 games so far along with 93 blocks and 84 hits.  Meanwhile, Bruce adds that winger Patrick Kane could still suit up before the break against Ottawa on Wednesday.  Kane has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury and has been a nice addition to Detroit’s lineup, collecting 16 points in his first 19 games.
  • Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated that winger Michael Amadio has been cleared to return tonight against Detroit. The 27-year-old has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury.  Amadio has been one of the better waiver claims in recent years, becoming a capable depth producer for Vegas, notching 33 goals in 162 games; he has 17 points in 42 games so far this season.

A.J. Greer Out Eight Weeks With Foot Fracture

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The Flames got some bad news on the injury front on Saturday.  While they were hopeful that winger A.J. Greer avoided a fracture on his foot, that wasn’t the case as the team announced (Twitter link) that he will miss the next eight weeks due to a foot fracture.

The 27-year-old is in his first year with Calgary after being claimed off waivers late in training camp from Boston.  Since then, Greer has been a regular on the fourth line for the Flames, playing in 47 of 48 games, picking up six goals and four assists while chipping in with 77 hits despite averaging less than nine minutes a night of ice time.

Notably, Calgary hasn’t brought anyone up from the AHL’s Wranglers despite Blake Coleman also being banged up.  Instead, Coleman will play through his hand injury per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link), giving them 12 available forwards against Chicago.

Winger Martin Pospisil took part in the morning skate, giving hope that he’d return but they’ll give him the extra rest instead.  The 24-year-old has held his own in his first taste of NHL action, collecting four goals and seven assists in 33 games.  He has been out a little more than a week due to his lower-body injury.

Once Pospisil is officially activated after the break, Calgary’s roster will be at 23 skaters although Greer can easily be shifted onto injured reserve.  Considering their tight cap situation, there’s a good chance that Greer will eventually land on LTIR although with a cap hit of just $762.5K, the extra flexibility they’d gain from that would be quite limited but it would be enough to get a recall up from the Wranglers if needed.

Senators Notes: Kubalik, Brannstrom, Kastelic, Kaliyev

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With Ottawa’s cap challenge dating back to the preseason, winger Dominik Kubalik’s presence on the roster has always felt a little tenuous.  Acquired in the move that sent Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, the 28-year-old’s inclusion seemed more for contract-matching purposes than filling a specific void in the lineup.  To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Senators have been trying to move Kubalik for the past two months but have yet to find a taker.  Kubalik has nine goals and three assists in 41 games so far and is on an expiring contract that carries a $2.5MM cap charge.  When Anton Forsberg is ready to return from his injury, the Sens will be in a cap crunch so it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Steve Staios redouble his efforts to clear Kubalik’s contract from their books.

More from Ottawa:

  • Also from Garrioch’s piece, he suggests that there’s a sense that defenseman Erik Brannstrom and center Mark Kastelic could both be on the move. Brannstrom has been a regular on the third pairing most nights although he briefly lined up as a winger as well.  At a $2MM price tag, he’s a possible non-tender candidate this summer as he’ll have arbitration rights so if there’s a team that wants to take a look at him, moving him now would make some sense and help their cap situation.  Kastelic, meanwhile, has been scratched several times this month and has just two points in 28 games.  However, he does play with a physical edge and is winning over 56% of his draws this season so he could have some value as a depth piece elsewhere.
  • The Senators are among the teams believed to have shown some level of interest in Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports in his latest Toronto Star column. The 22-year-old had been a capable secondary scorer the last two seasons but has struggled this year with just six goals and eight assists in 37 games while being healthy scratched with some regularity lately.  There’s a connection between Kaliyev and the Sens front office as the winger played for OHL Hamilton in junior, a team run by Staios and owned by new team owner Michael Andlauer.

Bruins Recall Patrick Brown

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The Bruins play their final game before their bye week and the All-Star break today and they have opted to bring up an extra forward for that contest as they announced that they’ve recalled Patrick Brown from AHL Providence.

The 31-year-old is in his first season with Boston after inking a two-year, $1.6MM contract with them on the opening day of free agency back in July.  He was expected to land a spot on their fourth line but things didn’t exactly go as planned.  Instead, he didn’t make the team out of training camp and cleared waivers.  He cleared them a second time as well back in mid-November.

This is Brown’s sixth recall of the season and he has played in ten games so far with Boston, collecting one assist while logging just 8:29 per night.  He also has suited up in 15 games with Providence where he has been much more effective, notching 11 points in 15 contests.

The Bruins had an open roster spot so they didn’t need to make a corresponding move to bring him up.  With Jakub Lauko missing last game with an undisclosed injury and Jake DeBrusk and Matthew Poitras out being banged up, Brown should suit up this afternoon against the Flyers.  That said, with the long break approaching, there’s a good chance he’ll be sent back down to the minors on Sunday.

Jacob Trouba To Have Player Safety Hearing

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The Rangers play their final game before their off week tonight and it’s possible they won’t have their captain available for that contest.  The Department of Player Safety announced that defenseman Jacob Trouba will have a disciplinary hearing today by phone for an elbowing infraction on Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev last night.

The incident occurred late in the second period following a faceoff and no penalty was called on the play.  Meanwhile, Dorofeyev left the game early in the third period with what head coach Bruce Cassidy called an upper-body injury.  There was no further clarity on how long he might be out for.  More information on that front is expected today.

Trouba has been suspended once before back in 2017 for an illegal check to the head while he was playing in Winnipeg.  While enough time has elapsed that it won’t count against him from a forfeited salary standpoint if he’s suspended, it could be taken into consideration in determining how much time Trouba might miss.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Rangers

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

New York Rangers

Current Cap Hit: $83,603,531 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F William Cuylle (two years, $828.3K)
D Braden Schneider (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Cuylle: $82.5K
Schneider: $400K
Total: $482.5K

Cuylle has done a nice job in a full-time bottom six role in his first taste of NHL duty.  His offensive numbers aren’t going to stand out by any stretch but it’s a nice way to ease him in.  This will certainly limit his earnings upside on his next contract, however; a bridge deal in the $1.5MM to $2MM range might be his best-case scenario.  Bonus-wise, his are based on games played so right now, he’s trending to reach that full amount.

Schneider has been a regular on New York’s back end dating back to last season but his role has been rather limited so far as basically a permanent third-pairing piece.  That should have his next contract around the $1.5MM mark as well.  For him, his bonuses are ‘A’ ones and the only ones he might have a shot at are blocked shots (needs to finish in the top two for defensemen) and plus/minus (top three among Ranger blueliners).  At the moment, he doesn’t qualify to reach either of them.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Nick Bonino ($800K, UFA)
F Jonny Brodzinski ($762.5K, UFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($825K, UFA)
F Kaapo Kakko ($2.1MM, RFA)
D Ryan Lindgren ($3MM, RFA)
F Tyler Pitlick ($787.5K, UFA)
G Jonathan Quick ($825K, UFA)
F Blake Wheeler ($800K, UFA)

Potential Bonuses
Quick: $100K
Wheeler: $300K
Total: $400K

After getting 40 points last season, it looked like Kakko was heading in the right direction but he has struggled this year.  Still, it’s unlikely New York will give up on the 2019 second-overall pick.  However, they might want to go much higher than his $2.4MM qualifying offer.  Wheeler took a well below-market contract to go to the Rangers and while his numbers are down compared to his time in Winnipeg, he’s also playing lower in the lineup.  He’s worth more on the open market if he wants to max his money out next summer or he could stick with this route on a potential contender.  His bonuses are based on games played and have already been achieved.

Bonino made sense as a low-cost depth option with what should have been some offensive upside although he hasn’t been able to display that this season.  This close to the league minimum, he could land a similar deal on the open market next summer but could also be a PTO candidate.  Pitlick has been on near-minimum deals over the last couple of seasons and as a depth player this season, that’s unlikely to change.  He could get a contract at a similar price point in the summer or might have to go the PTO route as he did the year before.  Brodzinski, meanwhile, has been a dominant AHL scorer but hasn’t produced much in the NHL.  While he’s also likely going to stay around the league minimum, he should be able to at least land a one-way contract for next season.

Lindgren is one of New York’s more interesting expiring deals this summer.  He’s a very effective defensive defenseman but simply doesn’t put up many points to help drive his price tag up.  His qualifying offer is $3.6MM and he should get more than that but his ceiling might be closer to the $4.5MM range even with arbitration rights.  Notably, he’s a year away from UFA eligibility.  Gustafsson, meanwhile, is the exact opposite.  He is a productive offensive defender but struggles considerably in his own end.  Settling for this contract after a 42-point campaign suggests that teams aren’t willing to pay a premium for the points knowing his defensive struggles and the need to shelter him at five-on-five.  A small raise past the $1MM mark wouldn’t be shocking but it’s hard to project a big increase.

Expectations weren’t high for Quick after a rough 2022-23 campaign but he has been a difference-maker for the Rangers this season.  However, he just turned 38 so it’s unlikely there will be teams looking at him as a starter or a strong-side platoon option.  If he wants to go for the money, he could do better than this on the open market but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him stay or take a similar deal to this one with a contender for next season.  The details of his bonuses aren’t known.

Signed Through 2024-25

D Zachary Jones ($812.5K, RFA)
F Alexis Lafreniere ($2.325MM, RFA)
D K’Andre Miller ($3.82MM, RFA)
G Igor Shesterkin ($5.667MM, UFA)
F Jimmy Vesey ($800K, UFA)

With Lafreniere scuffling through his first few NHL seasons, it came as no surprise that he followed Kakko in signing a bridge deal.  He’s fared a bit better in his first year under Peter Laviolette although he hasn’t yet become that consistent top threat that they hoped he’d be when they picked him first overall in 2020.  If he keeps at his current pace and then takes another small step forward next year, he’ll certainly do enough to beat his $2.65MM qualifying offer.  But will New York be convinced that he’s worthy of that long-term big-money contract in the $7MM range if that happens?  Or might they try one more bridge deal (likely a one-year pact) worth closer to half that?  It’s still early but there is a wide range of outcomes when it comes to his next deal.

Vesey opted to avoid going through free agency, instead choosing to sign this contract in-season last year.  It gives him some stability while he has outperformed the deal so far as a capable depth scorer.  Having bounced around in his career will hurt him a bit if he gets to free agency next time as teams will wonder if he’s turned a late corner or if he’s just a fit for how the Rangers play.  Still, a small raise at a minimum should be doable.

Miller had no choice but to take a bridge deal over the summer as well given New York’s limited cap space.  He continues to be a valuable two-way piece on their back end despite not seeing much power play time.  Miller will be owed a $4.646MM qualifying offer in 2025 but his next contract could check in closer to double his current one if a long-term agreement is worked out.  Jones, on the other hand, has had a very limited role so far.  He’ll need to lock down a full-time spot if he wants to reach the seven-figure mark on his next deal.

Shesterkin has been one of the top goalies since coming over for the 2019-20 campaign although his first half of this season has been more pedestrian.  Still, the 28-year-old is regarded as one of the top netminders league-wide and he’ll be well-positioned to capitalize on that reputation on this next contract.  He’ll likely look to Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (seven years, $8.5MM on his recent extension) as a starting point for discussions.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Artemi Panarin ($11.643MM, UFA)
D Jacob Trouba ($8MM, UFA)

No one will ever call Panarin’s contract – the richest for a winger in NHL history – a bargain but at the same time, it’s fair to say that he has lived up to it so far, producing at a 105-point per 82-game rate to put him among the top-scoring forwards in the league.  There’s little reason to think a big collapse is on the horizon but that concern should come into play on his next deal, one that’s likely to be more of a medium-term agreement at a small discount on his current rate given the age risk.

Trouba hasn’t been able to get back to the offensive highs he reached in his final season with Winnipeg but for the tough minutes he logs, the captain is still providing some value on this deal.  Having said that, if he wants to land any sort of sizable raise, he’ll need to rediscover at least some of that scoring touch.  Otherwise, his next deal should check in close to this one.

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East Notes: Chychrun, Flyers, Devils, Werenski

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With the Senators struggling this season, some sort of core shakeup is expected under new GM Steve Staios.  Accordingly, some have suggested that defenseman Jakob Chychrun could be a candidate to be moved.  The blueliner spoke with Ian Mendes of The Athletic (subscription link) and voiced his frustration about being involved in trade speculation once again (he was in rumors for multiple years while in Arizona).  He also pushed back on any suggestions that he has soured on playing in Ottawa, going as far as saying that he’s “loving every moment here”.  While his desire may be to remain with the Sens, teams are certainly calling about Chychrun who has one year left on his contract after this season with a below-market $4.6MM cap hit.  He has 27 points in 43 games so far this season while logging over 22 minutes a night.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Flyers have been one of the biggest surprises of the season, sitting second in the Metropolitan Division heading into tonight’s action. However, don’t assume they’ll change plans and become buyers at the March 8th deadline.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Daniel Briere indicated that the team is still thinking about the future and that they shouldn’t be counted on as being big buyers by then.  However, he also suggested that he won’t necessarily look to move out veteran pieces for the sake of making trades either.  Philadelphia has been speculated as a possible seller, especially on the back end with blueliners Sean Walker and Nick Seeler set to become unrestricted free agents but it’s definitely possible that they largely stand pat with how well their season has gone.
  • The Devils are set to welcome back a pair of veterans tomorrow as team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that winger Ondrej Palat (lower body) and defenseman Colin Miller (illness) should return to the lineup tomorrow against Carolina. Palat has yet to play in 2024, another tough blow on what has been a quiet season so far as the 32-year-old has just five goals and nine assists in 35 games.  Miller, meanwhile, missed Monday’s game against Vegas and has had a sparing role in the first half of the year, collecting just five points in 25 games.
  • Blue Jackets blueliner Zach Werenski was expected to return at some point on their ongoing road trip but it appears it’ll be sooner rather than later. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch notes (Twitter link) that the 26-year-old appears to be on track to return on Thursday versus Calgary.  Werenski hasn’t played in nearly a month due to a lower-body injury but is still tied for second on the team in scoring with 25 points in 34 games.

Rangers Recall Jake Leschyshyn

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The Rangers have elected to make a roster move in advance of their game Friday against Vegas, announcing (Twitter link) that they have called forward Jake Leschyshyn from AHL Hartford.

The 24-year-old has spent the majority of the season with the Wolf Pack, getting into 16 games so far where he has four goals and three assists.  Leschyshyn was up with New York briefly earlier this month, making one appearance at the top level.  For his career, he has six points in 77 NHL appearances between the Rangers and Vegas.  He’s in the second season of a three-year, one-way deal that carries a cap hit below the minimum salary, coming in at just under $767K.

The Rangers already had 13 healthy forwards on their roster before this move so it’s a bit curious that they’ve opted to add Leschyshyn as well.  The move will officially be registered on Thursday (since the recall came after 4 PM CT) so it will be interesting to see if there’s any sort of corresponding roster move at that time.

Five Key Stories: 1/15/24 – 1/21/24

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With teams now past the midway point of the season, activity is starting to pick up across the NHL.  Here’s a rundown of the biggest stories in what was a very busy week across the league.

One In, One On The Way Out? As expected, the Senators signed RFA center Shane Pinto to a one-year deal that checked in at the league minimum of $775K.  The 23-year-old missed the first 41 games of the year after violating the league’s sports wagering rules, negating the two-year deal with an AAV in the $2MM range that was being negotiated.  Pinto will once again be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights this summer.  Meanwhile, the Sens are believed to be listening to interest in blueliner Jakob Chychrun.  The 25-year-old was acquired last season from Arizona in the hopes he’d shore up their back end but Ottawa has struggled in all facets in the first half of the year.  With one year left on his contract after this one with a $4.6MM price tag and the fact he’s on pace for his best season offensively, his trade value might be at its highest over the next few weeks if GM Steve Staios wants to make a big move.

Merzlikins Wants Out: After recently voicing his frustration over a lack of playing time but noting that he hadn’t asked for a trade, Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins has confirmed that he has now indeed requested to be moved.  The 29-year-old has bounced back from a tough showing last year, upping his save percentage from .876 to .905 but his game-to-game consistency has still been a concern, resulting in Daniil Tarasov getting an extended look as the starter.  With three years left after this one on his deal with a $5.4MM AAV and with Spencer Martin now in Carolina after being claimed off waivers earlier in the week, it seems unlikely that Merzlikins will see his request granted in the near future.

Coaching Change: With the Islanders struggling, some had wondered about Lane Lambert’s future with the team.  GM Lou Lamoriello indeed decided to make a change but who he hired caught many by surprise as Patrick Roy was named their new head coach.  Lambert spent barely a year and a half behind New York’s bench with his team playing to a 61-46-20 record while the Isles lost in the first round of the playoffs last year and Lamoriello clearly felt that a change could help kickstart this team.  He turns to Roy, who hasn’t been behind an NHL bench since the 2015-16 campaign, his third and final year with Colorado before he abruptly resigned the following offseason over a lack of say in personnel decisions.  He’s unlikely to get much input in that regard as long as Lamoriello is in charge but the former Jack Adams Award winner certainly had some success with the Avs and will now get his second crack at running an NHL bench.

Extensions: A pair of centers in very different situations inked new deals with their current teams.  First, the Blackhawks signed Jason Dickinson to a two-year, $8.5MM extension.  Dickinson is in the middle of a breakout season offensively, notching 15 goals already; he had yet to crack double-digits over the past five years.  He was a pending unrestricted free agent but will now continue to serve as a bridge veteran in Chicago.  Meanwhile, the Capitals inked a key part of their future, agreeing to terms with Aliaksei Protas on a five-year, $16.875MM extension.  The 6’6 23-year-old has just ten career NHL goals in 134 games but is a little under half a point per game this season.  Clearly, Washington believes that he can get to another level offensively and be a strong middle-six piece for the foreseeable future.

Leaves Of Absence: Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin will be away from the team indefinitely as he has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  The 28-year-old was in the midst of his best season offensively as he notched 22 goals and 20 assists in his first 40 games before stepping aside.  There is no set timeframe for how long he might be out as Nichushkin will only return once he’s cleared by program administrators.  Meanwhile, the Flames announced that winger Dillon Dube has been granted an indefinite leave of absence to attend to his mental health.  Last season, the 25-year-old had a career year with 45 points but he has struggled this season with just seven points in 43 contests and will now take some time away from the organization.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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