West Notes: Myers, Lekkerimaki, Markstrom, Bjugstad
Defenseman Tyler Myers is one of several Canucks veterans that are set to hit the open market in July and the team won’t be able to afford to keep all of them. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (audio link) that the veteran has told his agent that he’d like to remain with Vancouver. The 34-year-old is in his fifth season with the Canucks and while his $6MM price point is above market value, he’s still logging important minutes, especially on the penalty kill where he ranks second in shorthanded ATOI. While a $6MM contract isn’t likely coming his way this summer, Myers should still command interest from several teams on a multi-year deal which should help land him a contract somewhat close to that price tag.
More from the Western Conference:
- Still with Vancouver, while Canucks fans were likely hoping that top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki would join AHL Abbotsford for the stretch run, that might not be the case. In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Patrik Allvin indicated that there is a possibility that the 19-year-old could play for Sweden at the Worlds in May. In that case, they’d likely not bring Lekkerimaki to North America and let him vie for a spot on that team. The 15th overall pick in 2022 had 31 points in 46 games with SHL Orebro this season.
- Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom has missed the last week with a lower-body injury but it appears he won’t be out much longer. Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg relays (Twitter link) that the veteran netminder has resumed skating and a return to the lineup on Saturday versus Vancouver is possible. The 34-year-old was featured prominently in trade speculation at the trade deadline thanks to a strong season that has seen him put up a 2.68 GAA and a .910 SV% in 41 games so far.
- Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad is listed as day-to-day and his availability for Wednesday’s game against Dallas is uncertain, notes team reporter Patrick Brown (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has done well in his second stint in Arizona this season, collecting 17 goals along with 20 assists in 67 games so far. The uncertainty over his availability is what resulted in Nathan Smith’s recall earlier today.
Devils Assign Nico Daws And Tyler Wotherspoon To AHL
The Devils were active at the trade deadline when it came to goaltenders, picking up Jake Allen from Montreal and Kaapo Kahkonen from San Jose. However, they kept Nico Daws up in New Jersey as well. They’ve now decided that’s not the best course of action as the team announced today that Daws along with defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon have been assigned to AHL Utica.
Daws started the year on season-opening injured reserve and was activated in early December. Just weeks later, he was up with New Jersey and, aside from the holiday roster freeze, has been with the Devils since then.
Early on, the 23-year-old did well, posting a .912 SV% in his first dozen appearances, well above the team average of .894. However, Daws has struggled in recent weeks with that mark dropping all the way down to .859, resulting in this move. On the season, he has a 3.15 GAA and a .894 SV%.
Now, he’ll split time with Akira Schmid with the Comets, giving them a leg up in their battle for a playoff spot in the North Division. Daws was eligible to return to Utica as he was papered down before the trade deadline with New Jersey using one of their four post-deadline recalls to bring him back up. Barring an injury to Allen or Kahkonen, recalling Daws later on would burn another one of those allowable recalls.
As for Wotherspoon, he was recalled back on Thursday, his first NHL promotion of the season. His recall was on an emergency basis so he didn’t count against the limit of four. However, the 31-year-old didn’t see any game action. Wotherspoon has 19 points in 54 games with the Comets so far this season.
Five Key Stories: 3/11/24 – 3/17/24
With the trade deadline now behind us, activity around the NHL was much quieter as expected. However, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.
Third Time’s A Charm? There has been plenty of speculation about NHL expansion or potential relocation with a handful of markets emerging as potential places. One of those is a market that has had an NHL team twice before as former NHL player Anson Carter is leading a group that wants to bring a franchise back to Atlanta. That market was home to the Flames from 1972 through 1980 while they also had the Thrashers, an expansion franchise, from 1999 through 2011 before the team relocated to Winnipeg to become the second iteration of the Jets. The group has apparently been in talks with the league about this since 2019 but with no expansion on the immediate horizon (yet, at least), they’ll likely be waiting a while longer before trying to garner serious consideration.
Third Time’s A Charm? (Part Two): Senators center Josh Norris has had a hard time staying healthy with lingering shoulder issues. He missed the beginning of the season while still recovering from the second surgery on his left shoulder and that same shoulder will cause him to miss the rest of the season as a third surgery is required. Norris is an important part of Ottawa’s young core and is signed through the 2029-30 campaign at $7.95MM per year. However, between this season and last, he only was able to play in 58 of 164 games. There was no immediate word on how long the recovery will be from this procedure and if it will roll over into training camp in the fall.
Vilardi Out Indefinitely: When healthy, Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi has been quite an impactful player. However, staying healthy has been a challenge. Now, already on the shelf due to an upper-body injury, the team learned that the 24-year-old has an enlarged spleen. Accordingly, his status has now been changed to out indefinitely. Vilardi was arguably the centerpiece of the offseason trade that saw Pierre-Luc Dubois go to Los Angeles and he has made an impact when he’s in the lineup, collecting 30 points in just 38 games. But now, Winnipeg will be without a key performer for the foreseeable future as they continue their tough three-way battle with Colorado and Dallas for the top spot in the Central Division.
St. Louis Takes A Leave: Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis has taken a leave of absence from the team for family reasons. He’s in his third season behind Montreal’s bench with the team playing to a 70-94-21 record in his 185 games at the helm. There is no word on when he’ll be able to return. In the meantime, assistant coach Trevor Letowski is serving as Montreal’s acting bench boss. This is Letowski’s first experience running a team at the professional level although he has several seasons in that role from his days in the OHL.
Johansen’s Demotion Reversed: Earlier in the week, the NHL quietly reversed Philadelphia’s assignment of center Ryan Johansen to AHL Lehigh Valley. The veteran was acquired for salary-matching purposes in a trade with Colorado earlier this month but was immediately waived and demoted when he cleared. However, Johansen is dealing with a hip issue and since injured players can’t be waived, the 31-year-old won’t be permitted to rehab with the Phantoms. There is no timetable for his recovery which is particularly noteworthy as injured players can’t be bought out. With one year and $4MM left on his contract (more specifically, Philadelphia’s portion of his $8MM deal), if the injury lingers, they won’t be able to clear at least part of his contract off their books.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Red Wings, Lohrei, Jiricek
The Red Wings were quiet at the trade deadline which came as a surprise to many with Detroit being in a playoff spot at the time. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that there were a couple of reasons for that. GM Steve Yzerman felt that the asking prices were way too high for his liking while he was reluctant to part with any of his prospects. Even if Detroit is able to lock down the final Wild Card spot and end their seven-year playoff drought, they’re still in the process of building up their roster. It appears that Yzerman had no interest in taking any shortcuts when it comes to their long-term plan.
Elsewhere in the East:
- While the Bruins papered Mason Lohrei back to AHL Providence to keep him eligible to play down there for the stretch run, that may not happen. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that he feels the young blueliner will be up for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old has done well in his first pro campaign, getting into 39 games with Boston so far where he has a dozen points along with 61 blocks while averaging nearly 17 minutes a night.
- With the Blue Jackets playing out the stretch and their back end being a bit thinned out due to injuries and the Andrew Peeke trade, the fact they haven’t recalled David Jiricek has been a surprise to some. Head coach Pascal Vincent told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link) that they’re prioritizing him playing big minutes with AHL Cleveland, a team that has been hit hard as of late due to recalls. Jiricek has played in 36 NHL games this season; he’d accrue a season toward UFA eligibility if he gets to 40. Speculatively, that could be playing a role in them holding him down there as well.
Injury News: Lindgren, Johnson, Murphy, Carlsson
Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren left today’s game with a lower-body injury, relays Ethan Sears of the New York Post. The injury occurred in the second period and he was helped off the ice without being able to put weight on his left leg. Head coach Peter Laviolette didn’t have an update following the game, noting Lindgren was still being evaluated. The 26-year-old came into today logging over 19 minutes a night on their second pairing but it appears they’ll need to shake things up again after redoing the pairings following Jacob Trouba’s injury. Chad Ruhwedel was acquired at the trade deadline but has yet to play so far, he’d likely draw in if Lindgren isn’t able to suit up on Tuesday against Winnipeg.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Blackhawks winger Reese Johnson (concussion) is doing better but won’t accompany the team on their three-game road trip, reports Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 25-year-old was injured back on Tuesday. Johnson has played in 42 games so far this season, picking up five points along with 109 hits while averaging just under 11 minutes a night.
- Still with the Blackhawks, blueliner Connor Murphy visited a specialist as he continues to be out with a groin injury, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Murphy has been listed as week-to-week for two months now and head coach Luke Richardson indicated that this is still the case. At this point, it’s unknown if Murphy will return this season.
- The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that center Leo Carlsson was cleared to return from his concussion tonight against St. Louis. The rookie had missed eight straight games because of it. Between injuries and early-season load management, Carlsson has been limited to just 40 games so far this season but he has played well, picking up nine goals and 14 assists in those contests.
Panthers Assign Evan Cormier To Minors
March 17: Cormier has been returned to the minors after backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Lightning, per CapFriendly. The move suggests Stolarz will be healthy enough to at least back up Bobrovsky for the Panthers’ next game, which isn’t until Thursday against the Predators.
March 16: Signed to an NHL deal earlier this month, goaltender Evan Cormier will now get at least a brief look with Florida. The team announced (Twitter link) that the netminder has been recalled from ECHL Florida to serve as the backup goaltender tonight with Anthony Stolarz unavailable due to illness.
The 26-year-old had been playing on a minor league deal but for the second straight season, that contract was converted to an NHL one just before the trade deadline, allowing him to be recalled for a situation just like this one. Cormier has played in 19 ECHL games with the Everblades this season, posting a 2.88 GAA and a .906 SV%. He also has six AHL appearances with Charlotte but has struggled, putting up a 3.64 GAA with a .868 SV%.
He’ll be covering for Stolarz who has been a bright spot for Florida’s goaltending this season. Signed to a low-cost one-year deal in the summer, the 30-year-old has thrived, compiling a 2.02 GAA and a .925 SV% through 21 games so far. A pending unrestricted free agent, Stolarz is certainly well-positioned to earn a sizable raise on his $1.1MM price tag.
While Florida has Spencer Knight in the minors as well, they can’t afford to call him up. They’re using one of their cap-exempt emergency goalie recalls to add Cormier to the roster but cap-exempt recalls have limitations on who is eligible based on their salary. At $4.5MM, Knight is well above that threshold, taking him out of the mix this time around.
Sabres Recall Devon Levi
5:02 p.m.: Buffalo has officially announced Levi’s recall after losing to the Red Wings 4-1 earlier today.
9:56 a.m.: The Sabres are bringing up some goaltending insurance for their five-game road trip as Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports (Twitter links) that they will be recalling goaltender Devon Levi from AHL Rochester. The move isn’t expected to be registered until after their game this afternoon against Detroit is finished.
The 22-year-old is in his first professional season and had high expectations coming in after taking over the starting job down the stretch last year when his college campaign came to an end. However, Levi struggled with consistency with Buffalo, playing to a 3.30 GAA and a .891 SV%. That resulted in the Sabres deciding to send Levi down in late January, allowing him to get a steady workload outside the NHL spotlight.
That decision was a wise one as Levi thrived with the Amerks, posting a 2.52 GAA and a .919 SV% in 19 games while helping Rochester move up to third in the North Division. Now, with Eric Comrie continuing to struggle in the backup role, Levi will likely serve as the second-string option for the stretch run as Buffalo looks to continue to gain ground in their late playoff push; they enter play today just three points out of a tie for the last Wild Card position.
With Comrie (who also saw AHL action this season) now ineligible to play for Rochester for the rest of the year, Buffalo will instead carry three netminders at least for the short-term future. Accordingly, Levi’s pending promotion will count against Buffalo’s four post-deadline recall limit once it’s registered later today.
2024 College Free Agency Preview: Goaltenders
With the college regular seasons ending and the Frozen Four tournament on the horizon, there will be some activity on the college free agent front in the coming weeks; we’ve already seen a handful of players sign. At this time of year, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings but it’s an opportunity for teams to add some depth pieces that are further along in their development compared to players coming out of major junior.
Here is an overview of some of the goalies that could be drawing NHL interest in the near future. Note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list will sign NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.
Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame
On this list a year ago, Bischel elected to return for his bonus year. The move worked out as he got a second full season as a full-time starter under his belt and while his performance wasn’t quite at the same level as last season, he still finished in the top ten in save percentage for the second straight year. That has him on the NHL radar with Boston among the teams showing early interest.
Cooper Black, Dartmouth
There is a ‘skill’ that Black has that can’t be taught, a 6’8 frame (some sites have him at 6’9). That makes him hard to miss. His sophomore year was an improvement although his numbers with the Big Green (2.60 GAA, .909 SV%) are still a little on the pedestrian side. Still eligible for two more seasons, NHL teams will have to decide if the time is right to try to sign him now or if they should give him another year in college. While he’s still raw in terms of his development, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some teams try to sign Black now.
Ben Kraws, St. Lawrence
Kraws spent his first two seasons at Miami (Ohio) but struggled, leading to a transfer to Arizona State. He had some success there but after losing the starting job to T.J. Semptimphelter (who should garner some pro consideration as well), he transferred again over the summer, this time to the Saints. He posted a respectable .914 SV% as the starter on a team that wasn’t particularly strong and a 6’5, he has the size that should appeal to teams. With the limited overall track record, an entry-level deal could be hard to come by but he should land an AHL deal somewhere.
Cole Moore, Bowling Green
This one is a bit of a long shot as Moore is wrapping up his freshman year with the Falcons. He’s also just 20 which is young for a player to leave college with three seasons of eligibility remaining. However, Moore posted an impressive .918 SV% this season and at 6’5, has the type of size that teams covet. If an entry-level offer is on the table, it’s possible that he takes it although returning for another year or two is the likelier outcome.
Victor Ostman, Maine
Ostman was also noted in the 2023 goalie preview but opted to return for his senior season with the Black Bears. From a numbers standpoint, that might not have been the best decision as his save percentage dipped by nearly 25 points. However, his size and athleticism have impressed in the past and he was on the NHL radar last summer when he was at Vancouver’s development camp. He’s eligible for the bonus year but he’d be entering his age-24 year if he does. Even coming off a down year, the time might be right for Ostman to turn pro.
Ludvig Persson, North Dakota
After a couple of tough years at Miami (Ohio), Persson entered the transfer portal and joined the Fighting Hawks. It’s a move that worked out well as the 24-year-old put up his best numbers since his freshman year. His play slipped in the second half but he was one of the top netminders in the first half of the season which might be enough to get him on the radar for a pro deal.
Zach Stejskal, Minnesota-Duluth
A player who is believed to have had previous NHL interest, Stejskal is coming off a bit of a rough year with a save percentage just below the .900 mark while splitting time with an NHL-drafted prospect. What certainly does appeal to teams is his 6’5 frame but with just 56 games across four college seasons under his belt, the 24-year-old is a bit more of a raw project than several others on this list.
Others To Watch For
Justen Close, Minnesota
Kyle McClellan, Wisconsin
Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech
Tommy Scarfone, RIT
These goalies have all had showings with save percentages in the top five in Division I over the past couple of years. However, they’re all on the smaller side and as we’ve seen with goaltending in recent years when it comes to draft picks, size matters. Accordingly, they’re not likely to be on the radar of a lot of teams, especially for NHL contracts. But three of them are on the early ballot for Hobey Baker voting and could be strong candidates for at least an AHL deal in the coming weeks.
Central Notes: Tanev, Stastney, Avalanche
Chris Tanev’s time in Dallas has been limited so far – just five games since being acquired – but GM Jim Nill already knows he’d like to have the veteran in the fold for the long haul. Speaking with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Nill expressed a desire to re-sign the pending UFA after the season:
Whenever you make a move for somebody you like, and you’ve done your research on, and I’ve seen Chris Tanev play a lot, heard all the stories about him, and now we get to live it and stuff. And he has everything we’ve heard, living up to the billing, so we think he’s a great fit for us. Let’s get the games going, let’s get the playoffs going. And but he’s definitely a guy that if we can make it work, we’d love to bring him back here.
The 34-year-old rarely puts up points but is known as one of the better defensive blueliners in the NHL. Accordingly, he is well-positioned to earn a raise on his current $4.5MM price tag in the summer, one that will be tricky for the Stars to afford within their salary structure.
More from the Central Division:
- The Predators announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Spencer Stastney is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old was injured on Thursday, his first game with Nashville since mid-December. Stastney has a goal in ten NHL contests so far this season while he has chipped in with 20 points in 44 appearances with AHL Milwaukee. With Dante Fabbro also injured, Nashville is down to just six healthy defensemen so they may recall someone before today’s game against Seattle.
- Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen is expected to return tonight versus Edmonton after missing the last two games due to illness, relays play-by-play voice Conor McGahey (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has been limited to just 30 games so far this season but has done well when he has been in the lineup, collecting 11 goals and 11 assists. Meanwhile, McGahey adds that wingers Zach Parise and Jonathan Drouin are also expected to return tonight. Parise has missed two straight with a lower-body injury while Drouin missed Wednesday’s contest with a lower-body injury of his own. Parise has seven points in 15 games in his final NHL season while Drouin has done well, picking up 38 points in 64 appearances so far.
- With those returns, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned forward Fredrik Olofsson to AHL Colorado. The 27-year-old played in two games on this recall to bring his season total to 57. Olofsson has nine points in those appearances while averaging 9:45 per contest.
Red Wings And Capitals Have Decisions Looming On Key Youngsters
Generally speaking, most of the notable contractual elements that could come into play for key prospects occur at the beginning of the season. However, that isn’t the case for the Red Wings and Capitals who are facing decisions on a pair of promising wingers. For Detroit, Jonatan Berggren is one game away from becoming waiver-eligible while for Washington, Ivan Miroshnichenko is one game away from officially activating the first year of his entry-level contract.
Berggren was a regular for Detroit last season and fared pretty well, picking up 15 goals and 13 assists in 37 games while playing in their middle six. However, GM Steve Yzerman opted to make several additions up front over the summer, pushing the 23-year-old to the outside looking in at a regular spot in the lineup.
Instead of keeping him as a spare forward, the Red Wings decided to send Berggren to AHL Grand Rapids and kept him there for most of the season. Through 43 games with the Griffins, he has done quite well, scoring 19 goals while adding 47 assists. That has earned Berggren a brief stint with the big club where he has been productive in limited action, notching two goals and four helpers in a dozen games despite averaging less than 11 minutes a night.
Berggren was papered to Grand Rapids at the trade deadline and subsequently recalled, permitting him to return to the Griffins. The only way they can do that is by not playing him in another game with Detroit. Grand Rapids is well-positioned to make the playoffs this season so there’s a case to make that his development would be best served by a long postseason run with them over being on the fringes of the NHL lineup while the Red Wings are trying to hold onto the last Wild Card spot in the East.
Detroit elected to punt on the decision for today as they scratched Berggren against Buffalo but they will have to make a call on either playing him and keeping him up for the rest of the season or sending him down for the rest of the year.
As for Miroshnichenko, he has played in nine games for the Capitals so far this season and as a junior-aged player, the ten-game mark is critical as he would officially burn the first year of his contract. If he doesn’t, the year would slide and he would still have three seasons left on that deal – at a slightly lower cap hit – heading into 2024-25.
The 20-year-old is in his first season in North America after spending his post-draft campaign split between Russia’s junior league and two professional leagues after recovering from cancer. The bulk of that campaign was spent in the KHL with Avangard Omsk who agreed to terminate his deal after the season ended, allowing him to join Washington’s system.
Miroshnichenko has spent the majority of this season with AHL Hershey and has done relatively well, collecting nine goals and 16 assists through 47 games so far. That has earned him a handful of recalls, the most recent of which came nearly three weeks ago. Miroshnichenko has been a regular the last couple of weeks, getting him to that nine-game mark where he has two goals while averaging nearly 12 minutes a night.
Washington will soon need to decide if their playoff push (they sit one point out of the last Wild Card spot heading into today) is best aided with Miroshnichenko in the lineup or if they should be taking the longer view and sending him back down to get the extra cheap year on his contract. Either way, unlike Berggren, Miroshnichenko will be able to return to Hershey whether it’s in the coming days or at the end of their season as he’ll remain waiver-exempt either way. Set to play Vancouver later today, Washington will have to make the decision soon unless they want to push the decision back a couple of days by making him a healthy scratch.
It’s not often that decisions like this come up this late in a season but for Detroit and Washington, they’ll have to make a call on their youngsters in the near future.