Maple Leafs Recall Maxime Lajoie
The Maple Leafs have brought up some extra depth on the back end before their game tonight against Anaheim as the team announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Maxime Lajoie has been recalled from AHL Toronto.
The 26-year-old has been shuffled back and forth twice already this month although it didn’t result in any playing time. Lajoie did play four games with the Maple Leafs earlier this season, getting held off the scoresheet while averaging just 9:32 per game. However, he has been productive in the minors with the Marlies, recording 17 points in 31 appearances so far. With 74 career NHL contests under his belt, Lajoie has been in the recallable depth role for the past few years now.
Toronto had a full 23-player roster before making this recall so there’s a corresponding roster move that hasn’t officially been announced yet. Speculatively, that could be blueliner Mark Giordano landing on the non-roster list following the death of his father; Lajoie would then need to be sent back down upon Giordano’s return to the team. While Morgan Rielly remains out as he continues to serve his suspension, the Maple Leafs don’t get an extra roster spot while he’s out of the lineup.
Victor Olofsson Hoping To Be Traded
The future of Victor Olofsson in Buffalo has been a topic of some speculation for a few years now but each time, the winger has stuck around. However, Olofsson told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News earlier this week that he has approached GM Kevyn Adams about finding a new place for him to play:
I’ve got to play hockey and right now I’m not doing it. You always have to think about yourself and your career. I’ve always had a great time here, and I love it here, but I’ve got to think about myself obviously. If there’s an opportunity to go somewhere and play, that would be the ideal thing.
The 28-year-old has been a frequent healthy scratch this season and when he has been in the lineup, he hasn’t been able to produce at the level he has in the past. In 35 games so far, Olofsson has been limited to just four goals and eight assists. Last season, he had 28 goals on his own and has hit the 20-goal mark in three of the last four years, a mark he’s unlikely to reach now in 2023-24.
Of course, while Olofsson may be hoping to find a new place to play, finding a team that can afford him will be trickier. He has a $4.75MM cap hit and salary, a mark that not many contending teams can take on. Even with the maximum 50% retention, there are still several playoff-bound squads that couldn’t take the remaining half of the contract on, nor would they want to cough up any sort of return of significance and possibly take themselves out of the market for a more impactful player.
Accordingly, it’s quite possible that Olofsson’s best chance to leave the Sabres is to find a non-playoff team that can afford his contract. More specifically, a team with some injuries that’s looking for some players to fill out their roster or one with a similarly underachieving forward in a swap of expiring contracts. But even with that scenario, Olofsson’s request to be moved might not be able to be honored.
Instead of his platform free agent year being a strong one, it has been anything but. His hope was that he’d be playing for a big contract this summer but now, simply playing as a regular in a lineup somewhere appears to be Olofsson’s new goal.
Injury Updates: Soucy, Sanderson, Zub, Chinakhov
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet provided an update on Carson Soucy, telling reporters (video link) that the blueliner is currently listed as week-to-week. The 29-year-old has missed close to a month with a hand injury sustained while blocking a shot. In his first season with the Canucks after signing a three-year, $9.75MM deal with them back in July, Soucy has six points and 39 blocked shots in 21 games while logging a career-high 17:25 per night. As things stand, the Canucks don’t have enough cap space to call anyone up from the minors so if someone else has to be promoted, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Soucy transferred to LTIR retroactively.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The Senators will welcome back a pair of defensemen on Saturday as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub will return from their respective lower-body injuries against Chicago. Sanderson has missed nearly three weeks with his injury and he certainly has been missed as he logs nearly 23 minutes a night for them in the final year of his entry-level deal. As for Zub, he was out for the last two games, resulting in Ottawa having to dress only 17 skaters earlier this week before being eligible for an emergency cap-exempt recall. The Sens now have 21 players on their active roster and that’s all they’ll be able to afford as they have less than $75K in cap space, per CapFriendly.
- Blue Jackets winger Yegor Chinakhov will return to the lineup on Saturday versus San Jose, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). The 23-year-old started the season on IR and then spent a bit of time in the minors. However, since being recalled, Chinakhov has started to live up to his potential as a former first-round pick, collecting 14 goals and 10 assists in 40 games so far. He winds up missing just one game due to the upper-body injury he sustained last weekend.
Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains, Assign Jett Woo To AHL
The Canucks made a pair of roster moves on Friday, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford. In a corresponding move, defenseman Jett Woo was re-assigned to the AHL.
It’s the first career recall for Bains, who signed with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent two years ago. The 23-year-old is the top scorer for Abbotsford, notching nine goals and 30 assists, sitting a dozen points clear of second-place Max Sasson. Bains is expected to take the place of Dakota Joshua who is listed as week-to-week after injuring his hand in a fight on Tuesday.
As for Woo, his first NHL recall came back on Monday but it winds up being a short-lived one; the 23-year-old didn’t suit up with Vancouver during that time. Woo is on his second NHL contract having inked a one-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum at the NHL level. He has 16 points in 42 games so far this season, sitting just five points high of his career high set last season.
While Vancouver could have made an open roster spot available by placing Joshua on injured reserve, they didn’t have enough cap space to afford Bains’ recall on its own, resulting in Woo having to be sent down.
Milan Lucic Won’t Return To Bruins This Season
While domestic violence charges were dropped against Bruins winger Milan Lucic earlier today, don’t expect to see him back in a Boston uniform in 2023-24. Following the news of the charges being dropped, the team released a statement to reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that the veteran won’t return this season:
Milan Lucic will remain on indefinite leave from the organization for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. The Boston Bruins organization supports Milan and his family as he continues his personal rehabilitation.
Lucic signed a one-year contract with Boston back in July, a deal which carried a $1MM cap hit and salary plus another $500K in undisclosed performance bonuses. He will once again be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
At the time of his arrest back in November, Lucic was on LTIR and he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program soon after. Accordingly, the Bruins will be allowed to keep him on LTIR and exceed the salary cap by up to $1MM for the remainder of the season.
Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner
With Logan O’Connor dealing with a lower-body injury, the Avalanche have made a roster move to bring up some extra depth up front, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Chris Wagner from AHL Colorado.
It hasn’t been a great season for the 32-year-old. Wagner signed with Colorado with the hopes that he could battle for a spot on the fourth line with 360 career NHL appearances under his belt. However, he then ruptured his Achilles tendon in training camp, putting an end to those hopes before he even had a chance to suit up for them in the preseason.
Wagner was cleared to return a little over a month ago, clearing waivers which resulted in him being assigned to the Eagles. To his credit, he has been fairly productive over the last few weeks, notching three goals and four assists in 11 games.
Colorado had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Wagner up. They’re now at the maximum 23-player roster with this transaction.
Five Key Stories: 2/5/24 – 2/11/24
The first full week of February is in the books. While there wasn’t any activity on the trade market (compared to two notable swaps last week), there was still some notable news around the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.
Kings Hire Smith: With Jim Hiller taking over as interim head coach, the Kings elected to bring in an experienced assistant, hiring D.J. Smith. Smith began the season with Ottawa as their head coach but was let go a little under two months ago after the team got off to a sluggish start. Smith spent parts of five seasons behind the bench with the Sens but his time in this role with Los Angeles could be short-lived as the contract is only for the rest of the season. Smith could be considered for other head coaching positions this summer or perhaps even the top job with the Kings if it’s decided that Hiller won’t be the full-time bench boss.
Kuznetsov Takes A Leave: Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov has taken a leave of absence from the team and has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. This is the second time he has been in the program with the first one coming back in 2019. The 31-year-old has struggled on the ice this season, averaging just 0.40 points per game, the lowest rate of his career. There is no timeline for his return and while he is away from the team, his $7.8MM AAV will not count against Washington’s salary cap.
Injured Again: In his first game back after recovering from a left leg injury, Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev suffered another long-term injury, fracturing his fibula and tibia in that same left leg. He underwent surgery the next day. While no official timetable for his return was released, head coach Jon Cooper indicated that the blueliner would miss the rest of the regular season at a minimum. Sergachev is a big part of Tampa Bay’s back end, logging over 22 minutes a night while being a key contributor so he will definitely be missed. The Lightning now will be able to go over the cap by an additional $8.5MM once they place him on LTIR, giving them some extra flexibility heading into the trade deadline, albeit at a key cost with Sergachev out long-term.
Edmundson On The Block: In the weeks leading up to the March 8th trade deadline, buyers will be looking to add some extra depth on their back end. One of the players they’ll be considering is Joel Edmundson as the Capitals are believed to be shopping the veteran. The 30-year-old was acquired at the start of free agency for a pair of draft picks with Montreal retaining half of his $3.5MM cap hit. However, Edmundson has underachieved with Washington, logging just over 16 minutes a night, well below his career average while chipping in with just three points in 34 games. However, he has two deep playoff runs under his belt (2019 with St. Louis and 2021 with Montreal) and was effective in both of those which should help generate some interest in him as a proven postseason performer.
Suspensions: The Department of Player Safety handed out a pair of suspensions to defensemen this week. First, Jets blueliner Brenden Dillon received a three-game ban for an illegal check to the head on Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari, keeping him out of their lineup until this coming Saturday against Vancouver. Speaking of those Canucks, rearguard Nikita Zadorov was handed a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Detroit’s Lucas Raymond. He’ll be eligible to return on Thursday in a rematch against the Red Wings. Meanwhile, another defender is likely to receive a suspension as Toronto’s Morgan Rielly will have an in-person hearing on Tuesday for his cross-check on Ottawa’s Ridly Greig following a late goal on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Rental Center Market Has Thinned Out Quickly
Center depth is something that many teams covet at the trade deadline. A key upgrade to balance the lineup could be a key difference-maker in the playoffs while even a useful addition to the bottom six could be helpful. Centers play the premium position up front and teams will often pay a premium to get one.
We saw just that with the recent Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan trades. Vancouver paid a high price to get Lindholm early and Winnipeg, having seen Lindholm go, was motivated to push a deal for Monahan across the finish line quickly to make sure no one else swooped in. Those two were clearly the best options on the market. What’s left among players that can play higher than the fourth line? Let’s take a look.
Anaheim’s Adam Henrique now stands alone at the top of the rental class. He’s having a decent season offensively with the Ducks, producing at a 25-goal, 57-point pace. He can kill penalties and has been above average at the faceoff dot for six straight years now. He’s not a true top-six player on a contender but he’d be a nice third liner who could move up when needed. But at a $5.825MM cap hit, that will be hard for most teams to acquire, even if the Ducks retain 50%. Still, barring an injury, he’s very likely to be dealt.
Jack Roslovic’s time with his hometown Blue Jackets has been up-and-down. At times, he has looked like a viable top-six piece and at others, his performance has been poor enough to make him a healthy scratch. His numbers this season are far from pretty (two goals and eight assists in 28 games). But the 27-year-old put up 44 points last season and 45 the year before. With this being a contract year, a change of scenery could give him a spark and with his struggles and a $4MM cap charge, it’s unlikely that Columbus could command a significant return for his services but there is some potential upside for whoever winds up acquiring him.
In terms of impact or upside plays for rental centers that are almost certain to be available, that might be it for the list. Chicago’s Tyler Johnson is at a 20-goal pace this season but he’s also playing more on a rebuilding Blackhawks team than he would elsewhere. With max retention, he could yield a later-round pick but Johnson would likely be a depth player more than an offensive one on a new team.
There are a couple of players who could be wild cards to become available depending on how things go the next few weeks and certain teams potentially fall out of the playoff picture. Alexander Wennberg hasn’t lived up to his contract with Seattle but could be an upgrade on the third line for a few playoff-bound teams although maximum retention will be needed to make his $5MM price tag more affordable. That shouldn’t be the case for Nashville’s Thomas Novak, who checks in at just $800K. He isn’t quite producing at the level of a year ago when he had 43 points in 51 games but he is above the half-point-per-game mark. If the Predators make him available, his cheap contract will make him highly sought after.
On top of these players, there are some depth pieces that will likely be moved as potential fourth line additions or reserve forwards as there are every year. But if you’re a team looking for someone with some offensive upside, the pickings were already slim and just got a whole lot slimmer. That should be good news for a team with one of those players while others may decide to look at shopping a non-rental middleman to try to capitalize on the lack of impact supply remaining on the market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Sabres, Avalanche, Blue Jackets Injuries, Rielly
While the Sabres sit a dozen points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, it doesn’t seem as if they’re ready to give up on this season just yet. In his Saturday Headlines segment on Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported (video link) that Buffalo is looking to add win-now pieces. One thing they have that many buyers won’t is cap space as CapFriendly pegs them at having over $22MM in cap room today, a number that balloons to over $36MM on trade deadline day. Accordingly, they have the ability to add some pieces to try to overcome this sizable deficit with 31 games left in their season.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Avalanche lead the NHL in goals scored with 196, an average of 3.7 per game. Despite that, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post suggests that adding more scoring might be a good way for them to go at the trade deadline. With the status of Valeri Nichushkin moving forward in doubt while he’s in the Player Assistance Program and the fact that the bulk of their scoring is coming from two lines, adding someone to help deepen their attack could certainly be beneficial when the checking tightens up in the playoffs. However, cap space is quite limited and if they do opt to go that route, it could prevent them from shoring up their backup goalie spot as well.
- The upper-body injury that Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov sustained last night will cause him to miss at least Tuesday’s game versus Ottawa, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). If Columbus wants to call up a replacement forward, they’ll need to open up a roster spot first which could be done by shifting Adam Fantilli to injured reserve. Meanwhile, Portzline adds that defenseman Nick Blankenburg is dealing with a concussion, the second one he has sustained this season. The 25-year-old has been shuffled back and forth between Columbus and AHL Cleveland this year but it appears he’ll be staying in the minors for a little while until he’s cleared to return.
- In a follow-up announcement to their offer of an in-person hearing to Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly for his cross-check on Ridly Greig on Saturday, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that Rielly accepted the offer and that the hearing will be held on Tuesday afternoon in New York. Considering Toronto plays on Tuesday night, a decision on the length of his suspension will need to be made fairly quickly after the hearing.
Evening Notes: Schultz, Coyotes Arena, Chinakhov, Malinski
Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz has left the team for personal reasons, relays Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. However, head coach Dave Hakstol is hopeful that the veteran will be able to rejoin the team in the coming days on their four-game road trip. The 33-year-old is having a bit of a quieter year offensively with just 16 points in 42 games so far; he had 34 in 73 contests last season. Seattle is still trying to climb back into the playoff picture but if they wind up selling closer to the deadline, Schultz could be an interesting addition to the market as a right-shot blueliner on a $3MM expiring contract.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The long-running arena saga in Arizona could be taking another direction. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (video link) that a local government source suggested that a new arena deal in North Phoenix could be wrapped up in the next three months. Their situation was discussed in an executive session (not open to the public) at a council meeting earlier this week with the meeting believed to have gone well. While there’s a long way to go before shovels are in the ground, it’s possible that the Coyotes could wind up with a new arena plan in the near future which could delay any potential talk of relocation.
- The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that forward Yegor Chinakhov left tonight’s game versus Tampa Bay with an upper-body injury. After a slow start to his campaign following his early-November recall, the 23-year-old has become a capable contributor for Columbus, notching 14 goals and 10 assists in 39 games heading into tonight’s action.
- Following their loss to Florida, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman Sam Malinski to AHL Colorado. The 25-year-old was recalled on Tuesday and played that night but was scratched for their past two games. Malinski has 10 points in 23 games with the Avs so far while logging a little over 14 minutes a night and will likely be brought back up again in the coming days.