Injury Updates: Brown, McDonagh, Kastelic, Bear
Oilers winger Connor Brown took the pregame today but play-by-play voice Jack Michaels relayed (Twitter link) that he wound up being a late scratch. He’s officially listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Edmonton doesn’t have enough cap space to carry an extra forward so they played today’s game against Nashville short a player. Accordingly, it makes them eligible for an emergency cap-exempt recall of a forward making $875K or less should Brown still be unable to play on Monday against Vancouver.
It’s worth mentioning that when Brown does suit up for his next game, he will receive a $3.25MM bonus as part of the contract he signed with Edmonton this summer, one that guaranteed him just the NHL minimum. Any amount of that bonus that the Oilers can’t absorb on their books this season would be treated as a carryover penalty and would count against their 2024-25 cap charges.
Other injury news from around the hockey world:
- Also a late scratch from the Edmonton-Nashville game today was defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The Predators announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner is dealing with a lower-body injury and that he’s listed as day-to-day. The 34-year-old has played in ten games so far this season, picking up a pair of assists while averaging exactly 20 minutes a night, his lowest ATOI since his rookie year back in 2010-11. Marc Del Gaizo made his NHL debut in McDonagh’s absence.
- Senators center Mark Kastelic is dealing with an ankle sprain, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). Yesterday, head coach D.J. Smith suggested that the 24-year-old would miss a few games but now stated that Kastelic “won’t play any time soon”. Kastelic was placed on IR yesterday, meaning he’ll be out for at least a week. He has been held off the scoresheet in his first nine games this season.
- Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston relays that free agent defenseman Ethan Bear appears to be on track from his recovery from shoulder surgery and should be ready to play next month. The 26-year-old was injured playing at the Worlds back in May which played a role in him being non-tendered by Vancouver a month later. While a reunion with them could make sense, they’d need to find a way to open up cap space over the next few weeks for that to happen.
Ducks Recall Robert Hagg
The Ducks have made a roster move in advance of tomorrow’s game against Vegas. They’ve announced that they have recalled defenseman Robert Hagg from AHL San Diego.
Hagg is in his first season with Anaheim after signing a one-year, $775K one-way deal with them in the first week of free agency. However, despite a decent showing in the preseason where he had a goal and an assist in just two appearances, the Ducks waived him late in training camp. He cleared and was assigned to the Gulls where he has played in three games, recording a single assist. It’s his first AHL action since back in the 2016-17 campaign when he was with Philadelphia,
The 28-year-old battled injuries last season, resulting in him getting into just 38 games with Detroit where he had seven points and 111 hits. For his career, Hagg has 16 goals, 47 assists, and 985 hits in 338 contests over parts of seven seasons.
On the surface, it appears that this is merely a depth-related promotion. Anaheim recently loaned Tristan Luneau to San Diego on a conditioning stint, leaving them with just six healthy blueliners on their roster. Luneau’s stint can last for up to two weeks so it appears that Hagg will serve as injury insurance in the youngster’s absence.
Sabres Place Mattias Samuelsson On IR, Recall Ryan Johnson
Mattias Samuelsson’s lower-body injury from last night’s game against Philadelphia will keep him out for at least a week as he has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster will be Ryan Johnson who has been recalled per the AHL’s transactions log.
Samuelsson was averaging over 21 minutes a night heading into last night’s game (third among Sabres blueliners) while being a key cog on Buffalo’s penalty kill. He has a goal and two assists plus 25 hits and 25 blocks through his first 11 games of the season and his absence will certainly be notable inside their top four. The 23-year-old is in the first season of a seven-year, $30MM contract that was signed a little over a year ago when he had less than 60 games of NHL experience under his belt.
As for Johnson, he is in his first professional season after wrapping up his college career last year at the University of Minnesota. He had 18 points in 40 games for the Golden Gophers, giving him 59 points in 143 contests over his four seasons there.
The 2019 first-round pick is off to a decent start with AHL Rochester, notching four assists in his first nine games and now has a chance to get his first taste of NHL action. If he doesn’t take Samuelsson’s spot in the lineup, Jacob Bryson would be next in line after being healthy scratched on Friday.
2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Sixteenth Overall
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall: Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
9th Overall: Brayden Schenn, Ottawa Senators (5)
10th Overall: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Edmonton Oilers (6)
11th Overall: Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators (11)
12th Overall: Dmitry Orlov, New York Islanders (55)
13th Overall: Anders Lee, Buffalo Sabres (152)
14th Overall: Tyson Barrie, Florida Panthers (64)
15th Overall: Reilly Smith, Anaheim Ducks (69)
It’s a nice jump for Smith who goes from being an early third-round pick to a mid first-rounder after being picked here. As was the case with the 14th pick, the margin of victory was quite narrow here with Smith receiving just under 20% of the votes.
Smith opted to forego the major junior route, instead spending his draft-eligible season at a tier below that level, retaining his NCAA eligibility. He was quite productive in his draft year with St. Michaels of the OJHL and then followed that up by averaging just over a point per game in three seasons at Miami University, earning him his entry-level deal in 2012 where he made the jump to the NHL right away, getting into three games with Dallas that season.
While Smith spent half of the following year at the AHL level, he hasn’t been there since then. However, his time with the Stars was limited as in the 2013 offseason, he was a key part of the trade that saw Tyler Seguin go to Dallas with Boston hoping that Smith could be an important piece of their future.
He fared pretty well with the Bruins, notching 20 goals and 51 points in his first full NHL season and followed that up with a 40-point showing the following year in 2014-15. But Boston opted to do in a different direction the following summer, using Smith as an incentive to move Marc Savard’s LTIR contract in exchange for Jimmy Hayes.
Smith responded with a 25-goal, 25-assist campaign in his first year with Florida, earning him a five-year, $25MM contract. Unfortunately for them, his production dipped again, this time to 37 points. At that point, Smith once again became a cap casualty with the Panthers sending Vegas a draft pick to incentivize the Golden Knights to take him in expansion.
The change of scenery worked out well for Smith who once again had a career year in his first season with his new team, picking up 60 points, following that up with two more 50-plus-point efforts. While his output dipped the next two years (one the COVID-shortened year and the other due to injury), the Golden Knights saw fit to give him a three-year, $15MM deal in 2022.
He rewarded them for that confidence with a 56-point performance just last season. But once again, Smith found himself a salary cap casualty this past summer as Vegas sent him to Pittsburgh for a third-round pick. He’s off to a nice start with his new team, picking up four points in as many games so far this season.
Smith sits tenth in scoring among players from this draft class and was the highest-producing player still left on the board.
Now, we turn our focus to the 16th selection which was held by the Minnesota Wild, who selected defenseman Nick Leddy but traded him before he even played an NHL game. Leddy remains available in our redraft; is he still the right pick for them or should someone else go in that slot? Make your selection by voting in our poll below.
2009 Redraft: Sixteenth Overall
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Darcy Kuemper 22% (72)
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Tomas Tatar 11% (37)
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Kyle Palmieri 11% (36)
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Mike Hoffman 9% (29)
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Nick Leddy 8% (26)
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Marcus Foligno 5% (15)
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Marcus Johansson 5% (15)
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Robin Lehner 5% (15)
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Brian Dumoulin 4% (14)
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Jakob Silfverberg 4% (14)
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Ben Chiarot 3% (10)
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Erik Haula 3% (9)
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Brayden McNabb 2% (8)
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Sami Vatanen 2% (7)
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David Savard 2% (5)
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Casey Cizikas 1% (3)
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Kyle Clifford 1% (3)
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Alex Chiasson 1% (2)
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Calvin de Haan 1% (2)
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Cody Eakin 1% (2)
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Dmitry Kulikov 1% (2)
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Craig Smith 1% (2)
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Zack Kassian 0% (1)
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Nick Jensen 0% (0)
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Mikko Koskinen 0% (0)
Total votes: 329
If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Metropolitan Notes: Ristolainen, Pelech, Pacioretty
The Flyers have placed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen on LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The move was necessary to afford yesterday’s recall of goaltender Cal Petersen. Ristolainen has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury, one that he had a setback in recovering from last month. The LTIR placement can be made retroactively; assuming that was done here, he will have already missed the required 10 games and 24 days which means he will be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s cleared to return. The 29-year-old had 20 points, 142 blocks, and 162 hits in 70 games with Philadelphia last season.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Defenseman Adam Pelech is dealing with a lower-body injury and won’t play tonight against Carolina, notes Cory Wright of the Islanders’ team site. The 29-year-old left Thursday’s victory over Washington early in the first period. However, Pelech did skate before practice today (but left before the team’s morning skate) which is an encouraging sign for a possible short-term absence. The blueliner has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season with just a single point in nine games while once again logging over 20 minutes a night.
- Capitals winger Max Pacioretty skated for the second time today as he continues to work his way back from a torn Achilles, relays Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). The veteran suffered the injury in just his fifth game last season after working his way back from a torn Achilles. Pacioretty inked a one-year deal with Washington this summer, one that carries a $2MM base salary and $2MM in games played bonuses that will be fully payable at the 20-game mark.
Canadiens To Activate Christian Dvorak Off LTIR
The Canadiens will welcome back center Christian Dvorak to their lineup tonight as the team announced (Twitter link) that he will make his season debut tonight, meaning that they will activate him off LTIR.
The 27-year-old was acquired back in 2021 to replace Jesperi Kotkaniemi whose offer sheet with Carolina went unmatched; Montreal flipped the first-round pick they acquired from Kotkaniemi as part of the trade package that went to Arizona. However, Dvorak hasn’t quite been able to lock down a full-time spot in Montreal’s top six since then.
Last season, Dvorak had 10 goals and 18 assists in 64 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury in March and undergoing surgery thereafter. The recovery took a bit longer than normal, resulting in the Canadiens starting him on LTIR. In the end, he’ll miss just the minimum number of games.
With Dvorak returning, Alex Newhook is expected to shift back to the wing. Newhook had been moved down the middle when Kirby Dach suffered his season-ending knee injury last month with the team being thin on center options but now Dvorak can slide into that role.
Montreal will need to create a roster spot to activate Dvorak. That can either be done by assigning defenseman Gustav Lindstrom to AHL Laval or by placing Rafael Harvey-Pinard on IR with the winger already being ruled out for tonight’s game. With the Canadiens having Carey Price on LTIR as well, they won’t face any challenges on the salary cap front with Dvorak’s activation.
Blackhawks Activate Taylor Hall Off Injured Reserve
It has been an eventful first month in Chicago for winger Taylor Hall as shoulder issues have limited him to just five games so far. Now, it appears as if he is cleared to return as Scott Powers of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Hall will play tonight, meaning he has been activated off injured reserve.
Hall was injured in the second game of the season and was believed to be out longer term originally. He then decided that he could play through the pain and returned after missing just one game. However, his effectiveness was limited and after three games of playing through the injury, Hall was shut down to allow him ample time to recover.
Hall was brought in to be a capable veteran linemate for top rookie Connor Bedard and he’ll likely be with the most recent top pick quite soon if not right away. He has two assists in the five games he has played so far but if he is indeed fully recovered, he should be able to be more productive.
It’s worth noting that Chicago had a full 23-man roster so a roster move needed to be made to formally activate Hall off IR. Isaak Phillips is the casualty on that front as the defender was just brought up on Sunday and is waiver-exempt; the Blackhawks have returned him to AHL Rockford.
Sabres Notes: Savoie, Olofsson, Samuelsson, Levi
With Matthew Savoie’s conditioning stint coming to an end shortly, the Sabres will have a decision to make with the young forward. Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News suggests that Buffalo will promote the 19-year-old and start his nine-game stint, delaying his likely return to junior. Savoie is doing well in the minors with five points in as many games but is ineligible to play there full-time this season.
However, they’ll need to open up a roster spot to do so. While returning Lukas Rousek to AHL Rochester is the easiest option, Harrington proposes that waiving Victor Olofsson might make more sense. With a $4.75MM cap hit, he’s a lock to pass through unclaimed, allowing the Sabres an opportunity to give Rousek (who is part of their future) a longer look. Olofsson has been scratched in five games so far this season and has been held without a point in the six contests he has played in.
More from Buffalo:
- The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson suffered a lower-body injury in the first period of last night’s loss to Philadelphia; head coach Don Granato didn’t have an update on his status post-game. The 23-year-old has been his usual steady self in the early going this season, notching three points along with 25 hits and 25 blocks in his first eleven appearances while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per night before Friday’s contest. If he’s going to be out for a while, an IR placement would also open a roster spot for Savoie’s promotion although it’d leave the Sabres with only six healthy blueliners.
- Goaltender Devon Levi is expected to start tonight against Toronto, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 21-year-old has missed a little over two weeks with a lower-body injury. Levi had gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, posting a 3.26 GAA with a .892 SV% in his first four appearances. Buffalo never moved Levi to IR during the injury so no corresponding roster move needs to be made.
Maple Leafs Place Timothy Liljegren On LTIR, Recall Max Lajoie And Simon Benoit
The Maple Leafs are dealing with another injury on their back end as they announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been placed on LTIR with a high-ankle sprain, meaning he’ll miss at least the next 10 games and 24 days. Replacing him on the roster will be blueliners Max Lajoie and Simon Benoit who have been recalled from AHL Toronto.
Liljegren was injured on Thursday night late in the first period against Boston after being tripped by Bruins winger Brad Marchand. Following the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the early prognosis was that it wasn’t a short-term injury for the 24-year-old; this placement certainly cements that. Liljegren is averaging around 18 minutes a night on Toronto’s back end through the first ten games, good for fourth among Toronto’s blueliners. It’s a contract year for Liljegren who will be a restricted free agent next summer and an extended absence certainly wouldn’t help on that front.
The Maple Leafs are also without blueliners Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins. David Alter of The Hockey News mentions (Twitter link) that both rearguards skated before practice today but that Timmins – who is on LTIR himself – is still a long way away from returning to the lineup.
As for the recalls, Lajoie is in his first season with Toronto after signing with them in free agency this past summer. The 25-year-old has seen NHL action in each of the last five years, totaling 70 regular season games and a pair of playoff contests. This season, he has been held off the scoresheet in seven games with the Marlies but had 45 points in 70 games with AHL Chicago in 2022-23.
Benoit, meanwhile, was recalled three times back in October but didn’t play with the Maple Leafs. Going back and forth to and from the minors has also limited him to just two games so far with the Marlies. Last season, the 25-year-old had 10 points in 78 games with Anaheim while logging over 19 minutes a night.
East Notes: Jiricek, Dach, Czarnik, Mazur
While Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek is eligible to be sent to the minors which would allow the team more time to decide whether or not they should burn the first year of his entry-level deal, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the blueliner is expected to remain with the big club through his tenth game. Doing so means that he would officially burn the first season of his entry-level contract. The 19-year-old has two points in eight games so far this year in Columbus while logging a little under 14 minutes a night. His presence on the roster means that two rearguards (Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist) are on the outside looking in but it appears that will be the case for the foreseeable future.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- The Canadiens announced that center Kirby Dach underwent successful knee surgery today. Dach sustained a season-ending torn ACL and MCL in Montreal’s second game of the season earlier this month while playing against Chicago, his former team. Surgery was delayed until today to allow the swelling to go down. Dach is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp next fall.
- CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings have assigned forward Austin Czarnik to AHL Grand Rapids. The 30-year-old has played in eight games this season, picking up a single assist while logging just under 10 minutes a game. The move puts Detroit at just 18 healthy skaters which isn’t likely viable so a recall – likely Czarnik – will come in advance of Thursday’s game against Florida. Once Czarnik plays in ten games or is on the roster for 30 days, he’ll need to clear waivers again so this transaction stops the clock on the latter counter for now.
- Still with Detroit, the Red Wings announced that they have activated forward Carter Mazur from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to Grand Rapids. The 21-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the opening game of Detroit’s prospect tournament back in September. Mazur spent most of last season in college with Denver but managed to get in six games with the Griffins down the stretch where he had six points. Because Mazur wasn’t on Detroit’s roster last season, there was no cap charge for his SOIR placement.