Blackhawks Place Connor Bedard And Nick Foligno On Injured Reserve
Already dealing with a long injury list, things just got even worse on that front for the Blackhawks. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve placed center Connor Bedard and winger Nick Foligno on injured reserve. Bedard has a fractured jaw while Foligno is dealing with a fractured left finger.
Both players sustained the injuries during Friday’s game against New Jersey. Bedard was injured on a hit from Brendan Smith, leaving the game immediately after that. The 2023 top pick has been as advertised this season, leading Chicago in scoring with 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games, making him the odds-on favorite for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. It also helped him land his first All-Star nod earlier this week.
While no timeline for a return was provided for either player, it’s worth noting that Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner is working his way back from a fractured jaw as well – he skated with the team today. His recovery timeline was estimated at six weeks at the time of injury so it’s possible the Blackhawks could be without their star rookie through the All-Star break at a minimum.
As for Foligno, the 36-year-old has come as advertised after his rights were acquired during the offseason. While he’s playing a lot higher in the lineup than he had in recent years, Foligno has been one of Chicago’s more productive forwards, collecting eight goals and nine assists in his 39 appearances so far. Both sides appear to be open about the possibility of a contract extension for the pending UFA.
Bedard and Foligno join a very crowded injury list that also includes forwards Taylor Hall, Tyler Johnson, Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Beauvillier, Taylor Raddysh, and Joey Anderson along with defenseman Seth Jones. Chicago just swung a deal to acquire Rem Pitlick to get back to now 11 forwards on its active roster but another roster move will likely be coming before their game tomorrow against Calgary.
Blackhawks Acquire Rem Pitlick
The Blackhawks have added some extra depth up front, acquiring winger Rem Pitlick from Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick. Both teams have announced the swap.
Pitlick spent the previous two seasons with Montreal before being included as part of the three-team swap which also involved San Jose, landing the Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson.
The 26-year-old impressed as a waiver claim by the Canadiens in 2021, picking up 26 points in 46 games. That was enough for Montreal to give him a two-year, $2.2MM contract, seemingly giving him some stability. However, Pitlick cleared waivers last season, splitting the year between AHL Laval and Montreal where he had just 15 points in 46 contests, leading to a trade request, one that was granted with his inclusion in the three-way trade.
However, the change of scenery didn’t work out quite as planned for Pitlick. Pittsburgh’s cap situation helped land him back on waivers and since clearing at the end of training camp, he has played exclusively with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Pitlick has been productive down there, notching 24 points in 32 games to lead the Baby Pens in scoring.
Presumably, Pitlick will now get an NHL look with a team where the salary cap situation won’t be a concern. The Blackhawks have six forwards on injured reserve at the moment while Connor Bedard left yesterday’s game due to injury so Pitlick should get an opportunity to make an impact with Chicago. A strong second half showing could give him a nice boost heading into unrestricted free agency this summer, just like it did two years ago.
Aaron Dell Signs PTO With AHL Ontario
Last month, the Hurricanes signed veteran goaltender Aaron Dell to a tryout agreement, loaning him out to Canada’s Spengler Cup entry a few days later. While there hasn’t been an announcement from Carolina about him since then, it appears Dell was released as he has already found a new team. Per the AHL’s transactions log, the netminder has signed a tryout agreement with AHL Ontario, the affiliate of the Kings.
The 34-year-old has yet to play this season beyond his stint at the Spengler Cup where he had a 2.59 GAA and a .906 SV% in four games while losing in the semi-final. Last season, Dell spent most of the year with AHL San Jose, posting a 3.14 GAA with a .898 SV% in 38 contests. He also got into four games with the Sharks, extending his streak of years with an appearance at the top level to seven. Dell had a 2.71 GAA and a .913 SV% in those outings, both better than his career averages of 2.92 and .905 respectively.
With Pheonix Copley on LTIR, David Rittich is currently up with the Kings so Dell figures to serve as the veteran backup to prospect Erik Portillo with the Reign. Meanwhile, with Los Angeles being speculated to be searching for a veteran third-stringer, this signing could take them out of the trade market on that front with Dell being well-suited to fill that role for the time being.
Coyotes To Recall Dylan Guenther
The Coyotes are bringing up one of their top prospects as PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (Twitter link) that the team is expected to announce the recall of winger Dylan Guenther from AHL Tucson.
The 20-year-old made Arizona’s roster out of training camp last season and acquitted himself fairly well, picking up six goals and nine assists in 33 games while averaging over 13 minutes a night. The Coyotes decided that it was best for him to return to junior after that and he joined WHL Seattle for the stretch run. Guenther was dominant there, collecting 29 points in 20 regular season contests and 28 more in 19 postseason appearances. By sending him back when they did, the Coyotes ensured that Guenther would not accrue a season of service time toward his UFA eligibility.
This season, Guenther was eligible to go to the AHL unlike last year and Arizona opted to send him to the Roadrunners after training camp. He has fared quite well in his first taste at that level, leading the team in scoring with 10 goals and 18 assists in 29 games; he’s on a bit of a hot streak with eight points in his last five appearances.
Arizona finds itself only a point out of a Wild Card spot as we near the midway point of the season but has only scored more than two goals once in their last five games. They’re hoping that bringing up one of their top offensive prospects can help get things going on that front.
East Notes: Senators, Cousins, Murray, Palat, Sergachev
The Senators are believed to be looking to add a veteran bottom-six forward, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. It has been a disappointing season so far for Ottawa who is well out of the playoff picture and have already made a coaching and GM change. With one of the younger rosters in the league, Garrioch notes GM Steve Staios would like to bring in someone to help in the room while adding some grit up front. The Sens have limited cap space and is currently in LTIR so it will take some roster juggling to make any sort of addition to their group.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Panthers winger Nick Cousins is in concussion protocol, the team announced (Twitter link). He was injured late in the second period of last night’s game against Arizona on a hit that has Jason Zucker facing potential supplemental discipline. The 30-year-old has drawn the ire of a couple of opponents in recent weeks with Columbus blueliner Erik Gudbranson also taking exception to a hit. Cousins is having his worst offensive season so far, notching just two goals and three assists in 37 games.
- When Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving spoke with the media yesterday, he told reporters including Postmedia’s Terry Koshan that goaltender Matt Murray is on track in his recovery from bilateral hip surgery. Treliving cautioned that he still has a long way to go but as of now, there haven’t been any setbacks. The pending unrestricted free agent is currently on LTIR and isn’t expected to play during the regular season.
- Devils winger Ondrej Palat was a late scratch for tonight’s game against Washington with the team announcing (Twitter link) that the veteran has an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old had played in all 35 games leading into this one but has struggled somewhat offensively, collecting just 13 points in those appearances. Curtis Lazar took Palat’s place in the lineup.
- The Lightning have placed defenseman Mikhail Sergachev on IR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury so this move is purely procedural; if they back-dated it to the date of his injury, he can be activated at any time. Sergachev has 19 points in 33 games so far this season.
Oilers Activate Dylan Holloway, Assign Him To AHL
Oilers forward Dylan Holloway has been cleared to return but he won’t be suiting up in Edmonton for the time being. The team announced that Holloway has been activated off LTIR but he has been assigned to AHL Bakersfield.
The 22-year-old has been limited to just 14 games this season after suffering a knee injury in mid-November. Holloway has also dealt with wrist and shoulder injuries in the past which have certainly slowed down his development.
While in Edmonton’s lineup this season, Holloway struggled offensively as he tallied just one goal while averaging a little over 11 minutes a night. That ATOI is actually an improvement on a year ago when he averaged just 9:35 per contest while notching just nine points in 51 games. For someone who was a first-round pick back in 2020 (14th overall) and was an impactful scorer at Wisconsin, the lack of production has to be some cause for concern.
With that in mind, a stint with the Condors certainly makes some sense. It would allow Holloway to get his skating legs back under him while also playing much higher up the lineup than he would have had he remained with Edmonton. It could also give him an opportunity to play his natural center position after primarily playing on the wing with the Oilers. From a long-term development standpoint, Holloway contributing as a middleman would be a nice outcome for Edmonton but one that they’ll need to be patient for with how much time he has missed already.
Worth noting from a salary cap perspective is that this transaction takes Edmonton out of using LTIR altogether. Accordingly, they’re now in a position to try to bank at least a little bit of cap space between now and the trade deadline, barring further injuries throwing a wrinkle into those plans. If that cap space isn’t used, it would reduce the amount of the carryover penalty from Connor Brown’s games played bonus.
Ducks Place Troy Terry On IR, Activate Isac Lundestrom
Before their game tonight against Toronto, the Ducks announced (Twitter link) multiple injury news. Winger Troy Terry was placed on injured reserve, paving the way for center Isac Lundestrom to be activated from IR. Meanwhile, middleman Ryan Strome is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Terry missed Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury so it’s likely that the placement will be back-dated to that point, meaning that he could be activated as soon as this weekend, if healthy. The 26-year-old is off to a slower start by his standards, notching nine goals and 13 assists in 35 games; last season, he played in twice as many games while collecting 61 points. Still, Terry sits third on Anaheim in scoring and will be a noticeable absence for however long he’s out.
Lundestrom, meanwhile, will be making his season debut after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. The 24-year-old was a first-round pick back in 2018 (23rd overall) and looked like he was on his way toward becoming a capable regular after putting up 29 points in 80 games back in 2021-22. However, he struggled offensively last season, collecting just four goals and ten helpers in 61 games. Lundestrom was supposed to miss at least six months from his injury sustained in early August so he is coming back a month ahead of schedule. Considering it’s a contract year and he’ll be owed a $1.8MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights, Lundestrom will be hoping for a big second half of the season.
As for Strome, he is also among Anaheim’s scoring leaders, ranking fourth on the team in total points. The 30-year-old leads the Ducks in assists with 17 and is on pace for his fifth straight season of at least 40 points or more. Benoit-Olivier Groulx will take his place in the lineup, making his first appearance in more than two weeks.
West Notes: Zucker, Geekie, Schwartz, Karlsson
Coyotes winger Jason Zucker is set to have a disciplinary hearing today for his hit on Florida winger Nick Cousins on Tuesday, the league announced. The incident occurred late in the second period with Zucker receiving major penalties for boarding and fighting plus a game misconduct. The 31-year-old is in his first season in the desert after inking a one-year, $5.3MM contract with Arizona in free agency last summer. Zucker, who has no prior fine or suspension history, has six goals and six assists in 29 games so far this season.
More from the Western Conference:
- Still with Arizona, prospect Conor Geekie could be on the move in junior as soon as Thursday, reports Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek (Twitter link). The 19-year-old was the 11th overall pick in 2022 and has been quite productive with WHL Wenatchee, notching 20 goals and 29 assists in just 26 games. Now that his time with the World Juniors has ended following Canada’s elimination, his trade restriction has been eliminated and it appears that little time will be wasted moving him; Swift Current is believed to be his next destination.
- Seattle could be close to getting a key winger back as head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio Network (Twitter link) that Jaden Schwartz is near a return to the lineup. The 31-year-old has missed a little more than a month with a lower-body injury and is currently on LTIR. Schwartz had gotten off to a nice start to his year with 15 points in 23 games before the injury.
- The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Linus Karlsson from AHL Abbotsford. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this season, getting into three games with Vancouver but has spent the bulk of the year in the minors where he has been quite productive, notching 23 points in 25 games. Vancouver has an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Karlsson up.
Capitals Activate Max Pacioretty Off LTIR, Place Charlie Lindgren On IR
The Capitals welcomed one of their key summer signings to the lineup tonight as before their game against New Jersey, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Max Pacioretty was cleared to play, meaning he was taken off long-term injured reserve. He’ll line up on their third line, taking the place of Hendrix Lapierre in the lineup. To make room on the roster, Charlie Lindgren has been placed on IR, notes Sammi Silber of The Hockey News (Twitter link).
The 35-year-old is working back from his second torn Achilles tendon in less than a year. As a result, he missed all but five games last season and while the hope was that he wouldn’t miss too much action this season, Pacioretty wound up missing Washington’s first 35 contests.
In the past, Pacioretty has been a capable top-six forward and averaged better than a point per game over his last two seasons with Vegas before being moved to Carolina in 2022 as a part of a salary cap dump move. However, over those two seasons, Pacioretty missed 77 games due to injury before missing 77 more last year so there are certainly some concerns about how he’ll hold up down the stretch.
Those concerns were addressed with the contract that he received this summer, one that guaranteed a base salary of just $2MM, well below what a typical top-six forward receives. Per CapFriendly, Pacioretty will receive another $1MM at the 10-game mark, $500K at 15 games, and another $500K once he plays in his 20th contest so the veteran will need to show that he can stay healthy if he wants to max out those incentives.
Pacioretty’s return will certainly be a welcome one for a Washington team that has struggled considerably offensively this season; only one team has fewer goals than the Capitals. While it wouldn’t be fair to expect him to make a big impact right away, if he does stay healthy, he could give their attack a bit more depth at a minimum.
As for Lindgren, he missed Saturday’s game against Nashville and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He’ll now be out for a few more days at least; once he’s cleared to return, Hunter Shepard will likely be returned to AHL Hershey. Lindgren has done quite well in limited action this season, posting a .928 SV% with a 2.27 GAA in 15 appearances so far this season.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils
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 Jersey Devils
Current Cap Hit: $82,601,228 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Alexander Holtz (two years, $894K)
D Luke Hughes (two years, $925K)
F Dawson Mercer (one year, $894K)
D Simon Nemec (three years, $918K)
G Akira Schmid (one year, $851K)
Potential Bonuses
Holtz: $850K
Hughes: $925K
Mercer: $400K
Nemec: $3.25MM
Schmid: $57.5K
Total: $5.4825MM
Holtz has progressed to the point of being a regular player but it has been in somewhat of a limited role so far. Basically halfway through his entry-level deal, it seems unlikely that he’ll dramatically improve to the point where he’ll bypass a long-term contract in 2025. A short-term deal in the $2MM range seems likely while bonus-wise, he’ll need to produce a lot more to have a shot at reaching them. The same can’t be said for Mercer who has a couple of strong seasons under his belt although his 2023-24 numbers are certainly down. Nonetheless, GM Tom Fitzgerald may still want to look into a long-term deal that could approach the $6MM mark while a bridge would be a bit more than half of that. Like Holtz, his bonuses are unlikely to be reached at his current pace.
Hughes did well in limited action down the stretch and in the playoffs last year and has locked down a full-time spot this season, playing top-four minutes. He’s expected to be a core piece for years to come so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Fitzgerald try to push for a long-term agreement after 2025. Such a deal could push past the $7MM mark if he produces as expected. As things stand, he has a chance at hitting a handful of his ‘A’ bonuses, worth $212.5K apiece. Nemec, meanwhile, was recently brought up and is just getting his feet wet at the NHL level. He recently went past the nine-game mark, meaning he’ll burn the first year of his deal this season. It’s too early to forecast his next contract but it’s worth noting that he’s unlikely to reach his bonuses.
As for Schmid, he made a big impact down the stretch last year, taking over as the starter. Things haven’t gone anywhere near as well this season as he has struggled considerably. He could still be a goalie of the future for New Jersey but with the inconsistency, he should be heading for a bridge deal that should check in under $2MM. His bonuses are based on games played so it’s likely he’ll hit some of that amount even though he’s currently in the AHL.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Tyler Toffoli ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Michael McLeod ($1.4MM, RFA)
D Colin Miller ($1.85MM, UFA)
F Tomas Nosek ($1MM, UFA)
D Brendan Smith ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Chris Tierney ($775K, UFA)
Toffoli wasn’t able to reach an early extension in Calgary and was quickly moved to New Jersey despite coming off of a career year. He is producing at a similar rate this season and if he can hold that up, he should be one of the better free agent wingers. Last time in free agency, his market was a bit quieter than expected but he should be able to push past the $5MM mark on a longer-term agreement. McLeod is on pace for his best offensive season and has been elite at the faceoff dot. With arbitration eligibility, he could push for $2.5MM or more should it get to a hearing if he remains one of the top faceoff specialists in the NHL and keeps up this level of production.
Nosek had to wait a bit to get this contract, one that was a $750K dip from his last deal. With this season being injury-plagued so far, he’s going to be hard-pressed to earn a raise even with his track record of being an effective fourth line middleman. Tierney came over in free agency on a two-way deal and has earned a full-time spot on the roster. Even so, he’s likely to remain around the minimum salary moving forward.
Miller had a quiet year in Dallas last season and the change of scenery hasn’t worked out the greatest; he has dealt with an injury and has been healthy scratched at times as well. While he has a bit of offensive upside and is a right-shot defender, it’s possible he’s heading for a small dip in salary. Smith can still hold his own on a third pairing and has shown previously that he can play up front if need be as well. While he’ll be 35 next month, he could still land a contract close to this price tag.
Signed Through 2024-25
D Kevin Bahl ($1.05MM, RFA)
F Nathan Bastian ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Curtis Lazar ($1MM, UFA)
G Vitek Vanecek ($3.4MM, UFA)
Bastian has been a bit quieter offensively this season compared to his last two years but he is holding down a regular spot on the fourth line. He’ll be hard-pressed to get any sort of significant raise unless he can get back to his production since starting his second go-round with the franchise. Lazar is in his first full year with the Devils after being acquired from Vancouver. He’s a serviceable fourth line center and it’s likely his next deal will come in close to this one.
Bahl is in his first full season and is holding down a regular spot on the third pairing. It’s unlikely he’ll move up in the lineup too often but even if he just stays in that role, he should get at least a small bump beyond his $1.2MM qualifying offer.
It has been an interesting first half of Vanecek’s contract in New Jersey. Acquired to take over as the starter in the 2022 offseason, he had the best year of his career, getting into 52 games while posting the lowest GAA of his career (2.45) and the highest save percentage (.911). And yet, when the playoffs came around, he wasn’t the starter and when he got his chance, he struggled mightily. That has carried over to his play this season. Value-wise, Vanecek only needs to be at the level of a good backup to provide value on his deal. He has been well above that at times and well below it at others. He’ll need to show some consistently strong performances in the next year and a half to set himself up for a bigger deal in free agency. If he can, he could push past the $5MM mark.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Erik Haula ($3.15MM, UFA)
Haula fit in quite well as an above-average third center last season, resulting in a reasonably-priced extension back in June. He only has three seasons with more than 40 points under his belt which limited his market in his previous trips through free agency. If he can stay around that mark in each of these three years, he’ll have a lot more bargaining power next time out.
