Avalanche Issue Injury Updates, Recall Riley Tufte And Caleb Jones
11/12: Riley Tufte has been re-assigned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
11/11: Colorado finds itself down a pair of forwards for tonight’s game against St. Louis as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding that forwards Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Cogliano are both out of the lineup. Lehkonen is expected to miss several weeks with an upper-body injury while Cogliano is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. In a corresponding move, the team announced (Twitter links) the recall of forward Riley Tufte and defenseman Caleb Jones from AHL Colorado.
Lehkonen suffered the injury after crashing head-first into the boards on Thursday against Seattle. That said, Bednar clarified that the upper-body issue that the 28-year-old has is not a head injury.
Last season, Lehkonen put up career highs across the board in his first full season with the Avs, notching 21 goals and 30 assists in 64 games while seeing his playing time surpass the 20-minute-a-night mark for the first time. His numbers are down a bit this year but he still has been an important part of their top six, picking up three goals and five helpers in a dozen contests while logging 18:30 per contest. There is no firm timeline for how long he will be out for.
As for Cogliano, the 36-year-old has been a regular on Colorado’s fourth line this season and is their second-most used forward on the penalty kill behind Logan O’Connor. He has three assists in 11 games so far after missing the season opener as he finished recovering from two fractured vertebrae in his neck that occurred during the playoffs last spring.
Jones, meanwhile, signed with Carolina during the offseason but after clearing waivers and being loaned to AHL Colorado, the Avs acquired his NHL rights last month. This will be his second recall of the season although he didn’t see any action during his first one. The 26-year-old has 213 career NHL appearances under his belt and has six assists in a dozen games with the Eagles so far this season.
The Avalanche had two open roster spots following Tufte’s paper demotion to the minors yesterday so no corresponding moves needed to be made to add him or Jones onto the active roster. Speculatively, Lehkonen will likely be heading for injured reserve at some point which would open up another spot on the roster.
Senators Notes: Brannstrom, GM Search, Defensive Depth, Hamara
The Senators will welcome back another blueliner tonight as head coach D.J. Smith confirmed to TSN 1200 (Twitter link) that Erik Brannstrom will play against Calgary. The 24-year-old sustained a concussion on a hard hit from Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck two weeks ago and was stretchered off the ice, resulting in him missing the last five games. Brannstrom was off to a slow start offensively as he had been held off the scoresheet in his first seven appearances but with the team dressing three rookies earlier in the week, getting him and Artem Zub (who returned last game) back certainly will give them a boost.
More from Ottawa:
- The team has not yet started reaching out to other teams for permission to interview potential GM candidates, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. At this point, President of Hockey Operations and interim GM Steve Staios has an idea of who they’d like to reach out to but clearly, this is not a vacancy that is going to be filled in the immediate future. Teams are sometimes hesitant about granting permission to speak to another club in-season so it’s possible that Staios could hold both titles for a little while.
- Prior to losing his GM role, Pierre Dorion had been exploring the trade market for defensive depth, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Ottawa’s preference this season was to keep their young blueliners in AHL Belleville where they could play heavy minutes but, again, their recent rash of injuries saw them dressing three rookies with the big club earlier this week. For the time being, Thomas Chabot’s LTIR placement has given them some extra flexibility on the cap so it wouldn’t be shocking if Staios picked up where Dorion left off on that front.
- Prospects Tomas Hamara is on the move as OHL Brantford announced that they’ve acquired the defenseman from Kitchener in exchange for a pair of draft picks. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick back in 2022 (87th overall) out of Tappara’s system in Finland. This season, Hamara has three assists in 18 games. His new team is owned by new Sens owner Michael Andlauer.
Capitals Place Martin Fehervary On IR, Recall Dylan McIlrath
Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary left last night’s game with a lower-body injury last night and it appears the injury will keep him out for a little while. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays (Twitter link) that Washington has placed the blueliner on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, blueliner Dylan McIlrath was recalled from AHL Hershey.
Speaking with reporters postgame on Friday (video link), head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t provide any specifics about Fehervary’s injury, only saying that it was not ideal. That’s certainly a fair assessment as the 24-year-old went into last night’s contest averaging over 19 minutes a game while holding down a spot in their top four.
So far this season, Fehervary has a pair of assists in a dozen appearances along with 20 hits and 29 blocked shots. He also takes a regular turn on Washington’s second penalty killing unit so his absence will be hard to fill internally. Alexander Alexeyev was the reserve blueliner on Friday so it stands to reason that he’ll get the first chance to do so while Lucas Johansen and Hardy Haman Aktell will each have to cover more minutes as well.
As for McIlrath, the 31-year-old is in his third season in Washington’s system. He got into six games with the Caps last year, his first taste of NHL action since the 2019-20 campaign when he was with Detroit. McIlrath is best known for his physicality but he does have three assists in 11 games so far with the Bears this season, along with 23 penalty minutes. Last year in the minors, he had 13 helpers in 60 contests plus 102 minutes in the box.
Sabres Assign Matthew Savoie To WHL
Matthew Savoie‘s time with the Sabres has come to an end quickly. The team announced today that they have assigned the forward back major junior, sending him to WHL Wenatchee.
Savoie suffered an upper-body injury during Buffalo’s prospect tournament, one that kept him out through the start of the season. Once he was cleared to return last month, he was eligible to be sent to AHL Rochester for a conditioning assignment even though age-wise, he isn’t eligible to play there on regular assignment; a request from the Sabres to give him an exemption was denied.
The 19-year-old fared well with the Americans on that assignment, picking up two goals and three assists in six games, prompting Buffalo to recall him to their active roster. He made his NHL debut last night with Alex Tuch out of the lineup but played just 3:55, a sign that his stay in the NHL might be short-lived.
Savoie now returns to junior, a level he dominated last season with 38 goals and 57 assists in just 62 games with Winnipeg; that organization moved to Wenatchee for this year. He will be ineligible to be recalled to Buffalo barring emergency circumstances for the remainder of his junior season; once his campaign there comes to an end, Savoie would be eligible to play for Rochester if the Americans are still playing at that time.
Savoie is in the first season of his entry-level deal which carries a $918K AAV. That contract will now slide for a second and final time at the end of the year, meaning he should come into training camp in 2024 with three years still left on that deal at a slightly lower cap charge.
Kings Claim Samuel Fagemo Off Waivers From Nashville
Samuel Fagemo is once again a member of the Kings. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles has claimed the winger off waivers from Nashville. Back in training camp, the Predators had claimed him off waivers from the Kings.
The 23-year-old was a second-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2019 (50th overall) and is waiver-eligible for the first time this season. Fagemo has shown a scoring touch in the minors, notching 27 goals with AHL Ontario in his first year in North America in 2021-22 and followed that up with a 23-goal effort last season. Despite that, he didn’t see much action with the Kings, seeing just 13 games over those two campaigns.
With Los Angeles not having much in the way of cap and waiver flexibility, Fagemo was waived back in training camp where Nashville scooped him up. However, he didn’t get much of an opportunity with them either, playing in just four games, scoring once while averaging just under ten minutes per game. That was still enough for the Preds to decide that his roster spot would be better used elsewhere.
Because the Kings were the only team to claim Fagemo, they were allowed to send him down to Ontario, a move they have now announced (Twitter link). Jordan Spence, who was papered down yesterday, has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Penguins Recall Vinnie Hinostroza, Assign Joel Blomqvist To AHL
The Penguins are set to welcome back Tristan Jarry between the pipes tonight against Buffalo, meaning that they’re now able to return Joel Blomqvist to the AHL. Per a team announcement (Twitter link), they’ve done just that, sending the young netminder down to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Taking his place on the roster will be forward Vinnie Hinostroza.
Blomqvist was recalled on Thursday and served as the backup to Magnus Hellberg on Thursday night in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old is in his first full season in North America and has yet to see any action at the top level. Blomqvist is off to a nice start with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, posting a 1.91 GAA and a .920 SV% in his first seven appearances; his GAA is the fifth-best among qualifying netminders at the minor league level. He’ll go back to being their undisputed starter with Hellberg, who started the season in the minors, still up with Pittsburgh.
As for Hinostroza, this is already his fifth promotion to the NHL this season as he has frequently been shuffled to and from the minors. The 29-year-old has suited up twice for the Penguins so far, picking up a goal and an assist despite averaging just 9:10 per contest. He has been similarly productive in the minors, collecting two goals and two helpers in five contests. Signed to a one-year contract last summer, Hinostroza is likely to continue to be one of the first forwards recalled when Pittsburgh has the roster and cap space to do so.
Blackhawks Recall Isaak Phillips, Place Jarred Tinordi On IR
In advance of their game tomorrow in Florida, the Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves. Per the AHL’s Transactions Log, Chicago has recalled defenseman Isaak Phillips from AHL Rockford. To make room for him on the roster, Jarred Tinordi has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 9th.
Phillips has split the season between the Blackhawks and IceHogs, having spent a week with the big club in late October before being sent down last week. He has one appearance with Chicago this year but has logged regular minutes with Rockford, picking up three points in eight games so far. The 22-year-old is in his fourth professional season and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
As for Tinordi, he left Thursday’s game in the first period with an oblique injury and did not return. The team didn’t provide any further updates but clearly, he’ll miss at least a week with the IR placement. The 31-year-old has played in nine games so far this season, picking up an assist along with 19 blocks and 23 hits while averaging 14:46 per night.
Atlantic Notes: Reinhart, Fabbri, Lauko, Klingberg
Panthers forward Sam Reinhart is in the final season of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer. Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards examines how Florida might be able to keep the 28-year-old and still re-sign pending UFA blueliners Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling. He suggests that an AAV of $8MM might be workable while re-upping the rearguards, leaving the team enough space to round out the roster with a bunch of minimum-salary players. However, he has 166 points in 173 games with Florida, 17 of which have come in his 13 appearances this season and as someone who can play down the middle when needed, it’s quite possible that Reinhart’s open-market value could be higher than $8MM. That said, Florida is a favorable tax environment which could also convince him to take a bit less than he would from another team.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Red Wings are expected to welcome back forward Robby Fabbri today from his lower-body injury, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link). The 27-year-old returned to the lineup on Tuesday but then missed Thursday’s contest with a lower-body issue. Fabbri missed 54 games due to injury last season and has only been able to suit up twice so far this year. With Austin Czarnik likely heading for injured reserve, Khan believes Detroit will be bringing a forward up in the coming days as well before they head out on their trip to Sweden.
- The Bruins could get winger Jakub Lauko back tonight against Montreal, notes Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 23-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks after taking a skate near his left eye and suffering several bone fractures; understandably, he’ll be wearing a full cage if he plays tonight. Lauko has been held without a point in his first six games this season after putting up four goals and three helpers in 23 games on Boston’s fourth line last year.
- John Klingberg’s injury-related absence was a short one. After not playing last night, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will suit up tonight against Vancouver, taking Simon Benoit’s spot in the lineup. It has been a rough start to Klingberg’s tenure with the Maple Leafs as the 31-year-old has just five assists in 13 games with some considerable struggles in his own end after being brought in to be a key offensive threat from the back end this summer.
Maple Leafs Recall Bobby McMann, Assign Pontus Holmberg To AHL
Following their shootout win over Calgary last night, the Maple Leafs have made a roster move up front in advance of their game against Vancouver tonight. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Bobby McMann from AHL Toronto while they have assigned center Pontus Holmberg back to the Marlies.
McMann was briefly on the NHL roster at the start of the season while on season-opening IR but cleared waivers as soon as he was activated. The 27-year-old has played in six AHL contests so far this season, picking up two goals and an assist.
Last season, McMann saw his first taste of NHL action, getting into ten games with the Maple Leafs where he had an assist and 17 hits while averaging 10:34 per night. While he was limited to just 30 games with the Marlies a year ago due to injury, McMann was quite productive, tallying 21 goals along with eight assists. If he can show any sort of that scoring touch on the NHL fourth line, he could stick around for a little while.
As for Holmberg, he has spent the bulk of the early going this season with the Maple Leafs, getting into seven games where he has been held off the scoresheet while logging a little under nine minutes per contest. The 24-year-old has a pair of points so far with AHL Toronto and will go back to playing a much bigger role for the Marlies for the time being.
Evening Notes: Couture, Pesce, Kings, Johnsson
Originally, Sharks captain Logan Couture wasn’t supposed to miss much time due to his lower-body injury. However, he still has yet to play this season with Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relaying that the middleman hasn’t just suffered one setback in his recovery but rather two separate ones last month. GM Mike Grier added that they’re not in a position at this point to say if he’ll be back in a month or two, only that it’s something he’s not able to play through. San Jose could certainly use Couture’s offensive skills – he’s coming off a 67-point showing last season – but clearly, he won’t be making his season debut anytime soon.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Hurricanes welcomed back Brett Pesce to the lineup tonight against Florida. He had missed eight straight games due to a lower-body injury, hardly an ideal start to a contract year. Pesce had been in trade speculation dating back to the summer but that cooled off with the injury. Tony DeAngelo was a healthy scratch as a result of Pesce’s return. Carolina never put Pesce on the injured list despite him missing three weeks so no corresponding roster move needs to be made.
- The near-daily roster shuffling in Los Angeles continues as the Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Jordan Spence and center Jaret Anderson-Dolan to AHL Ontario. The moves get them out of LTIR for a day, allowing them to bank a tiny amount of cap space which will be useful when Viktor Arvidsson is cleared to return. Los Angeles is back in action Saturday against Philadelphia and both players will almost certainly be back on the roster at that time.
- As expected, veteran winger Andreas Johnsson has indeed signed with SHL Skelleftea, per a team release. The 28-year-old signed with Pittsburgh in the summer but cleared waivers in training camp and didn’t report to the minors. The Penguins granted him his release earlier this week, paving the way for him to sign back home and play with his older brother. It’s a four-year deal for Johnsson which means his days of playing in North America may very well be over.