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Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, Sabres Injuries, Komarov

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Last weekend, it was suggested that the Maple Leafs would have further clarity on John Klingberg’s undisclosed injury.  Namely, they need to know if he will need potential season-ending surgery.  Speaking with reporters today including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they have not received an update on the veteran’s status just yet.  Klingberg’s $4.15MM cap hit is currently on LTIR, giving Toronto short-term cap flexibility.  However, they can’t realistically use that money to go out and acquire a replacement for him if they know he’s going to be back before the end of the season; they’d have to be cap-compliant in order to activate him.  Accordingly, until they know more about Klingberg, GM Brad Treliving will be quite limited in what he can try to do to add to an injury-riddled back end.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Earlier this week, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams provided injury updates to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald on several injured Buffalo forwards. Tage Thompson is progressing well from his hand injury and the team hopes that he’ll be on the shorter end of the timeline for a recovery period that’s supposed to be less than two months; he has been out since November 14th.  Jack Quinn, meanwhile, is on track to return sometime around January 1st as he works his way back from a torn Achilles tendon from the offseason.  As for Zemgus Girgensons, who has missed the last week with a lower-body injury, is listed as week-to-week.
  • Still with Buffalo, Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov is expected to be traded in the QMJHL to Drummondville in the coming days, reports Journal Express’ Jonathan Habashi. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2022 and earned his entry-level contract back in May following a good showing with Quebec in their Memorial Cup run.  Now with the Remparts rebuilding, it appears that Komarov will get a chance to catch on with another contender.  Through 21 games this season, he has two goals and 14 assists.

Sharks Place Nikolai Knyzhov On Waivers

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The Sharks have made a roster move in advance of tomorrow’s game against the Rangers.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov on waivers.

The 25-year-old has battled significant injury trouble in recent years.  Two sports hernia surgeries, an adductor repair, and a bone infection cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign.  Then, in August of 2022, Knyzhov tore his Achilles tendon doing off-ice training which kept him out of the lineup until March.

He returned to play a dozen games with San Jose down the stretch where he was limited to a third-pairing role.  Nonetheless, GM Mike Grier saw fit to sign him to a two-year, $2.5MM contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 campaign.

This season, Knyzhov has been a regular on the Sharks roster but not in their lineup as he has suited up in just ten games so far.  He has a single assist in those appearances along with 17 blocks and nine hits while averaging 17:39 per contest.  With his contract and injury history, it’d be a bit surprising to see him get claimed but a demotion to the AHL’s Barracuda could be a good opportunity for him to see more regular action and play a bigger role as he looks to work his way toward becoming a full-time NHL regular as he was in the 2020-21 season.

Earlier today, Max Miller of The Hockey News relayed (Twitter link) that the Sharks placed Luke Kunin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, opening a roster spot.  Knyzhov’s removal from the roster tomorrow will create a second.  With Alexander Barabanov and Jan Rutta believed to be close to a return, these moves appear to be the precursors to activating them off IR.

Golden Knights Recall Jiri Patera

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Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill exited Thursday’s victory with an undisclosed injury with Logan Thompson taking over for the third period.  Now, prior to their game tonight against Washington, the team announced (Twitter link) that Jiri Patera has been recalled from AHL Henderson.

The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season, the bulk of which has been spent with the Silver Knights.  Patera did get into a couple of NHL games last year, stopping 65 of 70 shots in a pair of victories.  This season, he has struggled a bit with Henderson, posting a 3.17 GAA with a .900 SV% in his first 14 appearances.

Patera signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum this summer coming off his entry-level deal.  He will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in July and will be eligible for waivers for the first time next season.

Vegas does not have an open spot on its 23-man roster so two things could happen here.  The first is they place a player on IR or send a waiver-exempt player (Kaedan Korczak is their lone option) to open a spot for Patera.  Alternatively, they can use the Goaltender Exemption provision in the CBA, allowing for a 48-hour recall without needing to take someone off the active roster.  However, that option can only be used twice in a season.  At this time, it’s not yet known which option they will utilize.

Predators To Scratch Tyson Barrie, Give Him Permission To Speak To Other Teams

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Tyson Barrie’s time in Nashville hasn’t gone the greatest as the offensive blueliner is still looking for his first goal of the season.  Now, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Predators have opted to scratch Barrie for today’s game against the Rangers while also granting him permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade.

The 32-year-old was acquired near the trade deadline last season from Edmonton for salary-matching purposes in the Mattias Ekholm deal.  Between the two teams, he played in 85 games (tying an NHL record for most games played in a single season), collecting 13 goals and a career-high 42 assists.  At a minimum, there was some enthusiasm that Barrie could produce at a somewhat similar clip this year, giving the Preds either a good trade asset for the March 8th trade deadline or a short-term veteran to try to keep around.

Things haven’t gone according to plan, however.  Despite averaging 3:15 per game on the power play, Barrie has been limited to just three assists in 22 games with the man advantage, a situation where he often piles up the point.  He hasn’t fared much better at even strength either, notching just six helpers while logging over 15 minutes a game at five-on-five.  His 18:51 ATOI in all situations is his lowest since 2013-14.

That’s not exactly how Barrie wanted his contract year to go; he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.  Meanwhile, it’s fair to say his trade value has certainly dropped as well.

Barrie carries a $4.5MM AAV (with no trade protection) which is going to be difficult for many teams to fit in given how many are using LTIR or are very tight to the Upper Limit of the cap.  As a result, GM Barry Trotz will either have to retain part of his contract (they can hold back up to half) or take a similar-sized deal back to facilitate a swap.  However, it’s worth noting that Nashville has already used two of its three retention slots (on Ekholm and Ryan Johansen) so retaining on Barrie’s deal would take that open off the table for anyone else until July 1st.

Barrie has shown in recent years that he can still be a higher-end offensive blueliner.  But that hasn’t been the case in Nashville and now, his camp will begin the process of trying to see if there’s another option for him elsewhere.  More specifically, they’ll look to see if there’s another team with a viable need for him that can also afford his contract.  From being one of the higher-scoring blueliners in the league last season to this; this is certainly quite the drop in value in just a few short months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blackhawks Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Blackhawks are in action today against Winnipeg and have made several roster moves in advance of that game.  The team announced that Jarred Tinordi has been activated off injured reserve while blueliner Louis Crevier has been recalled from AHL Rockford.  In corresponding moves, defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips have been sent to the IceHogs.

Tinordi is returning after missing the last three weeks with an oblique injury.  The 31-year-old has played in nine games so far this season, picking up an assist along with 23 hits and 19 blocks while averaging a little under 15 minutes a night.  Last season, Tinordi established himself as a regular in the second half, suiting up in a career-best 44 games, helping to earn himself a one-year, $1.25MM contract.  He’ll be set to test unrestricted free agency this summer.

Generally, a 6’6 player being added to the roster would be considered a pretty big addition size-wise but Tinordi is the smaller of the two additions to Chicago’s active roster as Crevier stands 6’8.  The 22-year-old is in his second professional season and has five assists in 16 games with Rockford, matching his rookie season output.  This is his first-ever NHL recall.

As for Kaiser, he made Chicago’s roster out of training camp and has played in all 21 games so far this season after seeing nine games with them down the stretch after his college campaign came to an end.  The 21-year-old has four assists in those contests while averaging a respectable 16:34 per game.  However, he has struggled a bit in his own end in recent games and this demotion will give him a chance to reset while playing a much more prominent role with the IceHogs.

Phillips, meanwhile, is no stranger to being shuffled back and forth as this is his third demotion of the year already.  The 22-year-old has played in nine games with Chicago this season, collecting three assists while picking up a goal and two helpers in eight games with Rockford.  It stands to reason that he’ll be one of the first recalls when further injuries arise as the season progresses.

Coyotes Recall Ryan McGregor On Emergency Basis

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The Coyotes have made a roster move up front in advance of their game tonight against St. Louis, announcing (Twitter link) that they have recalled Ryan McGregor from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis.

The 24-year-old is in his fourth season in the pros and this is his first-ever recall to the NHL.  McGregor, originally a sixth-round pick by Toronto back in 2017 but went unsigned, has played in 19 games with the Roadrunners this season but is off to a slow start, notching just two goals and two assists.  This performance comes on the heels of a 12-goal, 18-point effort in 2022-23.

With those numbers, it might be surprising that it’s not Jan Jenik getting recalled; he had just been sent down earlier this week.  However, at this point, it makes more sense for Jenik to see some regular action in the minors instead of regularly getting shuffled back and forth while seeing sporadic playing time.

McGregor is playing on his first post-entry-level deal, a two-way agreement worth $775K at the NHL level.  He’s set to once again be a restricted free agent this summer.

Alex Newhook To Miss 10-12 Weeks With High Ankle Sprain

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Canadiens winger Alex Newhook left Thursday’s loss to Florida with a lower-body injury and it will keep him out for a while.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Newhook will miss the next 10 to 12 weeks with a high ankle sprain.

The 22-year-old is in his first season with Montreal after being acquired from Colorado just before the draft in June for the 31st and 37th picks along with prospect blueliner Gianni Fairbrother.  Despite taking a step back with the Avalanche last season, the Canadiens saw fit to give Newhook a four-year contract over the summer, one that carries a $2.9MM cap hit; he will still be a restricted free agent at its expiration.

Newhook has done well with his new team this season, taking advantage of the more prominent role he has in Montreal’s lineup.  He is tied for the team lead in goals with Cole Caufield with seven while being tied with Sean Monahan for fourth in points with 13.  He’s also averaging 16:34 per night after failing to log 14 minutes per contest in his two full seasons with Colorado.

Montreal already made their recall to replace Newhook on the roster yesterday when they brought up Mitchell Stephens from AHL Laval.  For now, at least, Monahan is being shifted to the wing, allowing Stephens to center the fourth line.

Newhook joins a quickly growing list of players on Montreal’s injured reserve, one that now has more than $24MM on it, per CapFriendly (Twitter link).  Carey Price’s playing days are over which has him on LTIR.  Up front, Rafael Harvey-Pinard will miss another month while Kirby Dach is done for the year.  Meanwhile, on the back end, Chris Wideman has yet to play this season, David Savard has missed more than a month, while Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris recently landed on IR themselves.  That said, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter links) that both Savard and Xhekaj skated today which means those two could be getting closer to a return.

Maple Leafs Recall Martin Jones On Emergency Basis

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With Ilya Samsonov being unavailable for tonight’s game against Boston due to illness, the Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Martin Jones from AHL Toronto on an emergency basis.  He will back up Joseph Woll against the Bruins.

The 33-year-old played in 48 games last season with Seattle, posting a 2.99 GAA but his save percentage was just .887, a career low.  As a result, interest was limited in Jones on the open market as he had to wait more than a month to find a contract, eventually signing a one-year, $875K deal with the Maple Leafs to serve as injury insurance.  For his career, Jones has a 2.71 GAA and a .905 SV% in 444 NHL appearances over parts of ten seasons.

With a couple of teams looking for goalie depth at the end of training camp, it came as a bit of a surprise that Jones ultimately went through waivers unclaimed with Toronto assigning him to the Marlies soon after.  Jones has been in a three-goalie rotation with them this season and has played in just five games so far, putting together a 3.37 GAA with a .870 SV%.  It’s his first action at the AHL level since the 2013-14 campaign when he got into 22 games with AHL Manchester.  With Samsonov likely just being day-to-day with this illness, it’s likely that Jones’ NHL stint will be a short-lived one.

Penguins Recall Joona Koppanen

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The Penguins have added an extra forward to their roster in advance of tonight’s game against Philadelphia as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Joona Koppanen from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Pittsburgh had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to add him to the active roster.

The 25-year-old spent six years in Boston’s system before becoming a Group Six unrestricted free agent back in July.  He quickly found a new home with Pittsburgh inking him to a two-year contract on the opening day of free agency.  That contract is a two-way agreement for this season before converting to a one-way pact for 2024-25.

Koppanen has five games at the NHL level under his belt, all coming with the Bruins last season where he had an assist, four penalty minutes, and a faceoff success rate of nearly 57% while playing just under 11 minutes per contest.  He put up a career-best 35 points with AHL Providence last season but has struggled offensively this year, collecting just three goals and three assists so far through 18 games.  Nevertheless, his ability to play center and take draws has made him a viable recall option although it remains to be seen if he’ll suit up against the Flyers tonight.

Pacific Notes: Kylington, Irwin, Barabanov, Rutta, Kunin

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Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington skated with a small group today but head coach Ryan Huska cautioned (video link) that the blueliner is still a long way away from returning.  Kylington signed a two-year, $5MM deal in August 2022 but has yet to play a game on that agreement, missing all of last season and the first seven weeks of this one for personal reasons.  Huska noted that Kylington has skated on his own a bit so this wasn’t the first time he hit the ice but there is no timetable for when he might be able to return.  Kylington is currently on LTIR but with Calgary recently moving Nikita Zadorov to Vancouver, they now have some flexibility to work with when the time comes to welcome him back to the active roster.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Matt Irwin’s stint with Vancouver was short-lived as he has been returned to AHL Abbotsford, per the AHL’s Transactions Log. The 31-year-old signed with the Canucks in free agency but he wound up clearing waivers in training camp, resulting in Irwin seeing his first minor league action since the 2016-17 campaign.  He has two assists in 13 games with Abbotsford so far.
  • The Sharks could soon welcome back a pair of veterans as head coach David Quinn told reporters including Max Miller of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that defenseman Jan Rutta and winger Alexander Barabanov are very close to returning and should play at some point on their six-game road trip. Rutta has missed the last week and a half with an undisclosed injury and has struggled in his first season with San Jose, notching just one point in 19 games with a 37.7 CF%.  Barabanov, meanwhile, has been out since late October with a finger injury.  After putting up 47 points last season, he was held off the scoresheet in his first six games this year.
  • The news on the injury front wasn’t all good for the Sharks, however. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that winger Luke Kunin is dealing with an upper-body injury, resulting in him missing tonight’s game against New Jersey.  Kunin sits third on San Jose in goals this season with five, one behind co-leaders Fabian Zetterlund and Mike Hoffman.

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