Ducks Activate Trevor Zegras Off IR
After welcoming back two key young players in Mason McTavish and Jamie Drysdale on Thursday, the Ducks are getting another one back tonight. The team announced (Twitter link) that Trevor Zegras has been activated off injured reserve and will suit up against Seattle.
The 22-year-old took quite a while to re-sign with Anaheim over the offseason as it took until early October for the two sides to agree to terms on a three-year, $17.25MM contract. As a result, he was limited to just two preseason appearances.
The lack of training camp and exhibition action certainly seemed to take its toll in the early going this season as Zegras got off to a slow start offensively, notching just one goal and one assist in a dozen games. Meanwhile, new head coach Greg Cronin called his defensive struggles to attention. Things got worse soon after when he suffered a lower-body injury on November 7th and he has missed 20 games since then.
With Zegras’ activation, Anaheim now actually has 24 players on its active roster, one over the maximum. However, with the roster freeze rules in effect, the Ducks don’t have any skaters who are allowed to be sent down. As they’re cap-compliant, they’re now temporarily permitted to be over the roster limit.
Meanwhile, the Ducks are still awaiting word on how long Leo Carlsson will be out of the lineup after he left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the initial prognosis is promising and that it won’t be a season-ending injury.
Atlantic Notes: Perron, Sergachev, Lundell, Stephens
While Red Wings winger David Perron’s six-game suspension was upheld yesterday by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the six games have already been served, the appeal process isn’t over just yet. Perron’s agent Allan Walsh tweeted that his client (in conjunction with the NHLPA) will exercise the option to further appeal to a neutral arbitrator. At this point, the value in doing so would be a potential return of forfeited salary – Perron lost over $148K due to the suspension – as well as simply lowering the number of games for comparative purposes should a similar incident happen again.
More from the Atlantic:
- Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev will miss tonight’s game against Washington, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 25-year-old missed Thursday’s victory over Vegas due to a lower-body injury and did not accompany the team on this trip. Head coach Jon Cooper noted that the hope is that Sergachev will be ready to return after the holiday break. His production is down a bit this season compared to his 64-point outing last season but Sergachev still has 19 points in 33 games so far.
- The Panthers will welcome back center Anton Lundell today against Vegas, relays team reporter Jameson Olive (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has missed the last four games due to illness but was recently activated off injured reserve. Lundell is off to a slow start to his third NHL season as he has just two goals and ten assists in his first 28 games.
- Canadiens center Mitchell Stephens played in his tenth game of the year Friday against Chicago. This means that he will have to pass through waivers in order to return to the minors. Stephens cleared waivers back in the preseason but was recalled at the beginning of the month. He has a goal in those ten appearances while winning a little over 55% of his faceoffs.
Blue Jackets Activate Damon Severson, Place Nick Blankenburg On IR
The Blue Jackets will welcome a key defenseman back for their game tonight against Toronto but they’re also losing a blueliner. The team announced that Damon Severson has been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, Nick Blankenburg has been placed on IR retroactive to December 19th.
Severson was a key addition for Columbus over the summer who acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal from New Jersey on an eight-year, $50MM contract. Despite the Blue Jackets’ struggles, Severson got off to a decent start with his new team, recording three goals and five assists in his first 19 games with the team while averaging just under 21 minutes per night before suffering a strained oblique roughly five weeks ago which caused him to miss the last 15 games. He’ll slot right back into their top four versus the Maple Leafs and should see time on both the power play and penalty kill as well.
As for Blankenburg, the 25-year-old has spent most of the season in the minors with AHL Cleveland in his final season of waiver exemption and has three goals and eight assists in 19 games with the Monsters. He was recalled earlier this month and saw action in six games where he was held off the scoresheet while averaging just under 18 minutes per contest. Blankenburg is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and with the placement being back-dated, he could be activated as soon as Wednesday’s game against New Jersey.
Red Wings Place Alex Lyon On IR, Recall Simon Edvinsson
The Red Wings have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their final game before the holiday break tonight against New Jersey. The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Alex Lyon has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to December 16th. Taking his place on the roster will be defenseman Simon Edvinsson who has been recalled from AHL Grand Rapids.
Lyon signed with Detroit as a free agent back in July in what was expected to be a third-string role. However, instead of going through waivers and playing with the Griffins, the Red Wings have elected to keep three goalies up with the big club. As a result, playing time has been quite difficult to come by for the 31-year-old. But to his credit, Lyon has played quite well when called upon, posting a 2.14 GAA and a .932 SV% in his seven appearances, numbers that are considerably better than teammates Ville Husso and James Reimer. With the placement being back-dated by a week, he’ll be eligible to be activated for their next game on Wednesday versus Minnesota.
As for Edvinsson, the 20-year-old is in his second full season in North America. The sixth pick in 2021, Edvinsson got into nine games with Detroit last year (meaning he didn’t burn the first year of his contract) and this is his first promotion of 2023-24. He has been quite productive with the Griffins with six goals and ten assists in 25 games, already passing his goal total from a year ago.
Bruins Recall Ian Mitchell
The Bruins have added some depth to their roster for the final game before the holiday break as the team announced that defenseman Ian Mitchell has been recalled from AHL Providence on an emergency basis.
The 24-year-old was acquired during the summer as part of the Taylor Hall trade, signing a one-year, one-way deal for the NHL minimum back in July. Mitchell made Boston’s roster out of training camp, spending the first few weeks with the team. However, the Bruins opted to waive him in late October and after he cleared, he was sent to Providence.
That said, Mitchell hasn’t exactly seen much action in the minors as this will mark his seventh recall since early November. As a result, he has played in just four games for Providence, two of which came this week; he has a single assist in those four appearances. Meanwhile, he has seen a bit more action with Boston as Mitchell has a pair of helpers in 12 games while averaging just under 16 minutes a night.
With the Bruins off until Wednesday after tonight’s contest, expect Mitchell to be sent back to Providence before the full roster freeze comes into effect later tonight.
Minor Transactions: Spengler Cup Edition
The World Junior Hockey Championship isn’t the only tournament that takes place at this time of year. The Spengler Cup, the oldest invitational hockey tournament in the world, also gets underway on December 26th, running through the 31st. While most of the participants are club teams across various international leagues, Canada gets to send a team as well. Most of their players also play overseas but a handful of NHL teams have loaned players out for this event. We’ve already covered Aaron Dell (Carolina) and Nicolas Beaudin (Montreal) but here are the other NHL-affiliated players who have been loaned; the full roster (which features several former NHL players) can be found here.
- Penguins defenseman Ty Smith has been loaned by AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. It has been a disappointing year for the 23-year-old in the sense that he passed through waivers unclaimed. However, he has been quite productive in the minors so far, collecting 22 points in 27 games.
- The Senators have loaned out blueliner Dillon Heatherington from AHL Belleville. The 28-year-old has played in 24 games so far in the minors, picking up two goals and two assists. Heatherington, a pending unrestricted free agent, got into three games with Ottawa last season.
- Jets goalie Thomas Milic has been added to the roster from ECHL Norfolk. The first-year pro had a standout performance at the World Juniors and with WHL Seattle last season, resulting in him being drafted in his final year of eligibility. While he has four games with AHL Manitoba this season, he has spent most of the year with the Admirals, posting a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV% in 14 games.
- While not a direct loan from an NHL affiliate, the Flyers will also have a prospect in this event as forward Massimo Rizzo will be suiting up. The 22-year-old is in his junior year at the University of Denver and leads all Division I players with 31 points in 18 games. He’s the only NCAA player suiting up for Canada in the event.
Flyers Assign Cal Petersen And Rhett Gardner To AHL
After a wild game against Detroit on Friday, the Flyers have reached their holiday break. Accordingly, they’ve made a pair of transactions this morning, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned goaltender Cal Petersen and forward Rhett Gardner to AHL Lehigh Valley. Since both players were recalled after December 11th, they were allowed to be sent down even though the roster freeze is in effect.
Petersen has been shuffled back and forth in recent days with Carter Hart briefly missing time but Hart did return to action last night meaning Petersen’s presence on the roster is no longer needed. Petersen was acquired as a salary cap dump from the Kings over the offseason and after clearing waivers for the second straight year, the 29-year-old has spent most of the season with the Phantoms where he has a 3.20 GAA and a .898 SV% in 11 games. He made a pair of starts with the Flyers back in November, stopping 60 of 67 shots.
As for Gardner, he was recalled back on Tuesday but didn’t get into any game action with Philadelphia. The 27-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal but has struggled with the Phantoms. After putting up 40 points in 70 games with AHL Texas last year, he has just three goals and one assist in 21 contests with Lehigh Valley so far.
The Flyers aren’t back in action until Thursday so if they are going to recall Gardner or another forward, they can wait until then to do so.
Snapshots: Diamond Sports, Sharks, McMichael, Jagr, Beaudin, Golden Knights
Diamond Sports Group has reached a deal with the 11 NHL teams it has regional broadcast rights for to televise their games through the end of this season, sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan reports (Twitter link). With that agreement being made through bankruptcy court, it stands to reason that those affected will not be receiving the full value of their contracts, some of which lasted until 2030. After this season, the broadcast rights for those teams will revert to the league with future plans uncertain at this point. However, Amazon has held discussions with some MLB teams that are in similar situations (regional rights with Diamond for this season and reverting to the league after) so it’s possible that they could look to hold talks about NHL rights as well. Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis, Anaheim, Carolina, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville, Dallas, and Minnesota are the teams that will be impacted by this news.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- After missing last night’s game, Sharks defensemen Jan Rutta (illness) and Calen Addison (lower-body injury) were both feeling better today and could suit up Thursday versus Arizona, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). Rutta has five assists and 43 blocked shots in 26 games so far this season, his first with San Jose after being acquired from Pittsburgh. Addison, meanwhile, has picked a goal and five helpers in 19 games since being picked up last month in a trade with Minnesota.
- Before tonight’s game against the Islanders, the Capitals announced (Twitter link) that forward Connor McMichael was a late scratch due to an illness. Matthew Phillips took his place. McMichael is off to his best start, notching six goals and seven assists through his first 28 games; last season, he was limited to just six NHL contests, being held off the scoresheet.
- Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr has officially started his 36th professional season, playing in his first game of the year with Kladno in his native Czechia, the team he owns. The 51-year-old played nearly 14 minutes, picking up an assist. Jagr’s participation in that game will delay his Hockey Hall of Fame eligibility by another season.
- The Canadiens will loan defenseman Nicolas Beaudin to Team Canada for the upcoming Spengler Cup, reports BPM Sports Radio’s Anthony Marcotte (Twitter link). The 24-year-old played in the event on a loan last year as well. Beaudin, a 2018 first-round pick by Chicago, has been in and out of the lineup with AHL Laval this season, recording six assists in 13 games so far.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Logan Thompson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. To get a second netminder on the roster for Thursday’s game against Carolina, Isaiah Saville was recalled from AHL Henderson. Thompson has posted a .904 SV% in his first 19 games this season for Vegas while Saville, who was just activated from SOIR recently, has a .950 mark in three games with the Silver Knights.
Breaking Down The Roster Freeze Rules
The NHL is now in its annual roster freeze period which runs through December 28th. However, there still have been several transactions today and there are likely to be several more in the coming days. Let’s take a look at Rule 16.5 (d) in the CBA and go over what is and isn’t allowed during this period.
The first section of the rule reads as follows:
(i) For all Players on an NHL Active Roster, Injured Reserve, or Players with Non-Roster and Injured Non-Roster status as of 11:59 p.m. local time on December 19, a roster freeze shall apply through 12:01 a.m. local time December 28, with respect to Waivers, Trades and Loans; provided, however, that Players may be Recalled to NHL Clubs during this period and, provided further, that if a Player is placed on Regular Waivers prior to the roster freeze period and is claimed during such roster freeze period, the roster freeze period shall not apply and the Player shall immediately report to the claiming Club. However, during the roster freeze period a Club can make any Player transactions necessary for the Club to come into compliance with Article 50 as a result of a Player being removed from the Bona-Fide Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception.
First, it’s worth noting that recalls are still permitted so if a team has an injury in a game over the next couple of days, they will be able to bring up a replacement player as long as they remain cap-compliant.
In terms of what can’t be done, trades are certainly off the table as are waivers in the majority of circumstances. The exception is for a team to get into cap compliance to activate someone from LTIR. In that situation, demotions including waivers are still allowed. That said, we generally don’t see that happen at this time of year.
Now, let’s move on to the second section which digs into the majority of what we’ll see in the coming days:
(ii) Notwithstanding Section 16.5(d)(i), a Player on emergency Recall may be Loaned during the roster freeze period and a Player who was Recalled after December 11 may be Loaned through 11:59 p.m. local time on December 23, provided such Player is not required to be placed on Waivers during the roster freeze period in order to effectuate such Loan.
Anyone who is brought up on a recall after December 11th is still eligible to be sent down as long as it’s done by the end of Saturday. Sometimes, moves might be registered by then but won’t actually be announced publicly until the 24th. Meanwhile, a player on an emergency recall (when a team has fewer than twelve healthy forwards, six healthy defensemen, or two healthy goalies) can also be sent down when the emergency situation no longer applies.
In all likelihood, we’ll see a lot of these loans late on the 23rd, allowing teams to bank cap space for three days when the league shuts down between the 24th and 26th. If the player has recently cleared waivers, the demotion would also stop the 30-day clock (before needing to clear again) for a few days. The roster freeze may be in effect but there is still bound to be a high number of transactions during this time.
Penguins Notes: Guentzel, Shea, Trade Market
The Penguins and Jake Guentzel have not made progress on extension talks, reports Chris Johnston of The Athletic (subscription link). The 29-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and is on pace for a career-high 89 points after recording 36 and 40 goals over the past two seasons. Currently on a contract that carries a $6MM AAV, he certainly has been a value contract for Pittsburgh during that time and he’s well-positioned to make a few million per season more on a long-term deal. With the Penguins currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, Johnston suggests it would be difficult to see GM Kyle Dubas letting him go straight to free agency unsigned in July. If that’s the case, he’d be a significant addition to the trade market closer to the March 8 trade deadline.
More from Pittsburgh:
- After clearing waivers yesterday, the Penguins didn’t immediately send Ryan Shea down to the minors which was a bit odd. However, it was a short-term decision to keep him up as Pittsburgh has now loaned him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 27-year-old has played his first 22 career NHL games this season, averaging 12:28 per night and figures to have a more prominent role in the AHL after putting up 60 points combined over the last two seasons.
- Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski wonders if the Penguins could be a dark horse team to watch for on the trade market. If they don’t wind up re-signing Guentzel and the salary cap goes up as expected, they could have the flexibility to add another big contract over the summer, even after taking on the bulk of Erik Karlsson’s deal this past offseason. Accordingly, that could make them a player for an impact rental player on a possible sign-and-trade deal or one with some term remaining in the coming weeks.