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Sharks Recall Aaron Dell

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The Sharks have made a roster move in advance of their game tomorrow against Washington as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Aaron Dell from AHL San Jose.

The veteran has gotten into a pair of games for the Sharks this season, stopping 61 of 68 shots in a pair of losses.  Those appearances make it that the 32-year-old has seen NHL action in each of the last seven years.  That’s not bad for an undrafted goaltender who turned pro at the age of 24.

Dell has spent most of the season with the Barracuda, posting a 3.23 GAA and a .898 SV% in 21 appearances as he splits time with prospect Eetu Makiniemi.  Those numbers are a bit weaker than his performance from a year ago when he was in Buffalo’s system.

It’s unclear which goaltender Dell is being called up to cover for.  Kaapo Kahkonen has played in both games since the All-Star break while James Reimer served as the backup.  It would appear one of them is either injured or sick for this recall to be needed.  San Jose had an open roster spot available so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Dell up.

Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.

After narrowly losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Rangers last season, the Hurricanes made a pair of key veteran additions over the summer to look to cement themselves as a contender.  One of those players (Max Pacioretty) is now out for the season but that actually opens up some different opportunities for them to consider from a salary cap perspective with the veteran’s $7MM AAV now on LTIR.

Heading into action tonight, Carolina sits first in the Metropolitan Division and second in the Eastern Conference.  Accordingly, it’s not a matter of if they make a move but rather when they make it.

Record

34-9-8, 1st in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$10.16MM in LTIR relief, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR/PHI 3rd*, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, VAN 5th, CAR 6th, CHI 6th, CAR 7th
2024: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, PHI 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th

*-Carolina will keep the lower pick between the two

Trade Chips

While they’ll be a buyer, that isn’t to say that Carolina can’t sell as well.  With Frederik Andersen returning to the lineup just before the All-Star break and Pyotr Kochetkov back in the minors, it’s possible that they could look to move Antti Raanta and take advantage of what could be a light goalie trade market.  The pending unrestricted free agent has a very manageable cap hit of $2MM and has a nice 2.46 GAA in 19 games this season, almost identical to his output from 2021-22.  Such a move would come with some risk given Andersen’s injury history but if they’re able to get a decent asset for the veteran netminder, it might make it easier to part with one of their other trade chips.

One other roster player that seems like a reasonable candidate to move is Dylan Coghlan.  The defenseman was the sweetener that Vegas attached for them to take on Pacioretty’s contract and after playing in 59 games with the Golden Knights the year before, it felt like he’d be a useful depth piece.  However, the 24-year-old has only played in 16 games and has been a healthy scratch the rest of the way.  A pending restricted free agent, Coghlan’s $762.5K cap hit is easy for just about any team to absorb and chances are that some selling squads might want to take a look at him for the stretch run.

From there, they’ll turn to their futures pool of picks and prospects.  On the latter front, Jack Drury is likely to be of some interest.  The center has gotten his feet wet with Carolina this season, suiting up in 21 games and while he hasn’t produced much (just two assists), he’s only a year removed from putting up 52 points with AHL Chicago.  There’s some offensive upside to work with potentially.  2019 first-round pick Ryan Suzuki has yet to see NHL action and is in the midst of another injury-shortened season, playing in just 20 games with the Wolves so far.  Noel Gunler slid a bit further than expected in the 2021 draft, lasting into the second round.  His first full season in North America has gone well and his stock should be fairly high as a result.

Defensively, Scott Morrow will get some attention.  The 21-year-old is having another strong season at UMass and is getting relatively close to being NHL-ready.  That type of profile is always enticing to sellers.  Dominick Fensore is certainly an undersized blueliner (5’7) but he has had some success at Boston University.  He’s in his senior year and isn’t a lock to get a contract from Carolina.  If another team wants him, Fensore could be a secondary part of a swap.  Joey Keane’s rights might also be of small interest; after a decent showing on his entry-level deal, he somewhat surprisingly opted to play in the KHL this season where he has done relatively well.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Dominik Bokk, F Patrik Puistola, F Justin Robidas

Team Needs

1) Top-Six Forward: While Pacioretty’s injury opens up some LTIR room, it also opened up a sizable hole in their top six to try to fill.  Carolina generally hasn’t favored going the rental route so it shouldn’t come as much surprise that Pierre LeBrun linked them to San Jose’s Timo Meier in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link).  That forward could also be a center with Martin Necas being more of a winger and the trio of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Staal, and Paul Stastny not really being suited for top-six duty.

2) Playable Defensive Depth: It seems evident that there isn’t much faith in Coghlan when the team is fully healthy.  Finding a defender (or even two) that they’d be more comfortable using when injuries arise or to spell Calvin de Haan or Jalen Chatfield would be worthwhile.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Trade Chips, Senators, Paul

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The Maple Leafs are certainly going to be looking to buy heading into next month’s trade deadline but as a result of the team making some splashes in recent years, their prospect pool and collection of draft picks isn’t the deepest to deal from.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Kyle Dubas indicated that he can’t see the team dealing away their top chips, either their first-round pick or top prospect Matthew Knies.  He wouldn’t entirely rule out the idea of one of those pieces moving but for the time being, it appears that they’re not going to be in play.  Toronto has three other guaranteed selections plus potentially their own third-round pick depending on if Arizona opts to take it or a 2025 second-rounder as part of a previous swap.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with the Maple Leafs, while Knies has been speculated to be turning pro at the conclusion of his college season, he told TSN’s Mark Masters that he hasn’t decided which route to take yet and will wait until after Minnesota’s campaign comes to an end before considering his decision. The 20-year-old averaged a point per game in his rookie year last season and is ahead of that pace in 2022-23 with 17 goals and 13 assists in 28 contests.
  • Senators defenseman Artem Zub is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). He has been out for a little under a month with a lower-body injury, his third extended absence of the season which has limited him to just 21 games so far.  Meanwhile, Garrioch tweets that while goalie Cam Talbot also skated today, he won’t play this weekend.  The veteran is dealing with a lower-body issue of his own and with Ottawa potentially wanting to move him by next month’s deadline, they’ll want to be cautious and make sure he’s fully healthy before bringing him back.  Talbot has retroactively been moved to injured reserve but can be activated as soon as he’s ready to return.
  • Lightning winger Nick Paul was a late scratch before tonight’s game against Colorado with the team announcing (Twitter link) that he’s listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has been a capable secondary scorer in his first season with the team, notching 16 goals with 10 assists in 50 games.  Notably, with less than $720K in LTIR room per CapFriendly, Tampa Bay does not have enough space to call up a replacement for him on the roster.

Central Notes: Hynes, Toews, Coyotes

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Even though the Predators find themselves outside the playoff picture and have been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league this season, don’t expect a coaching change for the stretch run.  GM David Poile told Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean that John Hynes’ job is “absolutely not” in jeopardy and that he feels the coaching staff is doing a great job.  Nashville had quite a few players have career years in 2021-22 but that hasn’t been the case through the first two-thirds of this season.  They’ll need a few players to catch fire if they want to stay in the mix down the stretch; they sit four points out of both third place in the Central Division and the Western Wild Card race.

More from the Central:

  • The Blackhawks will likely be without center Jonathan Toews for their next two games, relays Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link). Chicago’s captain missed Tuesday’s game due to illness and while he returned to the gym today, head coach Luke Richardson indicated that the veteran likely won’t be recovered enough to play through the weekend.  Toews, a speculative candidate to be moved by March 3rd if he’s willing to waive his trade protection, sits third on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 14 assists in 46 games so far this season.
  • There was a Coyotes-related element to today’s trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers. In order for the conditional third-round pick to be included, it first had to be made available to New York to move as Arizona held that selection as part of the Patrik Nemeth swap last summer.  That trade gave Arizona the option to take the 2024 pick or New York’s 2026 selection.  CapFriendly confirms (Twitter link) that the Coyotes have opted for the 2026 choice, which ultimately helped pave the way for Tarasenko to be swapped.

Pacific Notes: Flames, LaCombe, Oilers, Studnicka

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With the Flames entering tonight’s action in a tie for the final Wild Card spot, GM Brad Treliving told NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers that he’s not prepared to commit to being a buyer just yet.  While he acknowledged that adding another forward would be nice (a desire that goes back to training camp), he will wait to get a better sense of where things stand closer to the deadline before making that call.  Treliving also acknowledged that he hasn’t received clarity on Oliver Kylington to know if the defenseman will be able to return this season from his personal leave.  That answer will go a long way towards determining what the Flames can or can’t do with his $2.5MM AAV and will also help to shape their trade deadline planning.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • With Ducks prospect Jackson LaCombe playing in his final college season, some wondered if the defenseman might opt to not sign with Anaheim and instead go to free agency in the summer. However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column, that won’t be the case as the 22-year-old has indicated to the team that he will sign at the end of his season at Minnesota.  LaCombe is averaging just shy of a point per game this season with 26 in 28 contests, helping him earn a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award.
  • Oilers GM Ken Holland acknowledged to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, Mike Johnson, and Pierre LeBrun on the Got Yer Back podcast (audio link) that he’d like to add before next month’s deadline but isn’t sure if he’ll be able to do so. Once Kailer Yamamoto returns off LTIR, Edmonton will be trimming down its roster simply to stay cap-compliant so they’ll be in a dollar-in, dollar-out situation.  However, with winger Jesse Puljujarvi and his $3MM AAV being on an expiring contract, he’s someone that could be moved as a salary offset to help facilitate a move.
  • The Canucks have sent Jack Studnicka back to Vancouver and the forward won’t play on the rest of their road trip, relays Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is dealing with a non-COVID illness that is slowly improving.  Studnicka was acquired from Boston early this season and has four goals and two assists in 30 games with Vancouver so far.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning

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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 2022-23 season and beyond.  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.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current Cap Hit: $89,574,031 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Nick Perbix (one year, $842.5K)

Potential Bonuses
Perbix: $82.5K

Perbix has already signed an extension so we’ll cover that later on.  His bonuses are games-played based and typically require 80 games to max out.  However, there are generally a few tiers for bonuses at this price point so he should receive some of this amount.  With Tampa Bay into LTIR, whatever Perbix earns will come off their cap next season.

Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level

F Rudolfs Balcers ($750K, RFA)
F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($1MM, UFA)
D Ian Cole ($3MM, UFA)
F Ross Colton ($1.25MM, RFA)
G Brian Elliott ($900K, UFA)
D Callan Foote ($850K, RFA)
F Alex Killorn ($4.45MM, UFA)
F Vladislav Namestnikov ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Corey Perry ($1MM, UFA)

Killorn’s future with Tampa Bay has seemingly been in question for a while now with the team having to cut from its veteran core each season.  Those questions will only intensify now as it’s hard to see how they can afford to keep him.  The 33-year-old has a chance at beating his career high in points (59, set last season) which would at least help him hit the open market on a high note.  He should be able to get a small raise on a medium-term agreement.  Namestnikov also appears to be unlikely to return as he hasn’t fit in during his second stint with the team.  He’ll also be hard-pressed to match his current AAV unless he can turn things around down the stretch.  Perry and Bellemare are low-cost veterans that Tampa Bay will either want to retain or bring in someone else to replace them at likely a slightly lower cap charge if possible.  If they look elsewhere, they’d be in line for similar contracts to what they’re on now.

On the RFA side up front, Colton will be in line for a sizable raise.  He potted 22 goals last season and has a chance at 20 this year.  Notably, he’ll also have salary arbitration eligibility which could push his next contract past the $3MM range.  He’s an important part of their bottom six but they might have to get creative to keep him around.  Balcers was picked up off waivers earlier this season and he tested the UFA market last summer after being bought out.  Another minimum-priced contract should be coming his way which could keep him around for another year in Tampa Bay.

On the back end, Cole is arguably having a better year than he did last season with Carolina, logging his highest ice time since 2018-19 in the process.  Having played on one-year deals for the last two seasons now, he might have a shot at a multi-year agreement at a price tag that’s close to this one.  Foote still hasn’t been able to quite lock down a full-time spot in the lineup which will hurt his case even with arbitration eligibility.  He should be able to push past the $1MM mark but his next deal shouldn’t be much more than that, even if they decide to tack on a second season.

Elliott has put up numbers that are hovering near the league average this year which is a good return on one of the cheapest goalie contracts in the league.  But he turns 38 in April and is going to be going year-to-year from here on out.  On merit, he’s worthy of at least a small raise but if he wants to stay with the Lightning, it’ll have to be at this price point at most.  With how their roster is structured, Tampa Bay simply can’t afford a more expensive backup netminder.

Signed Through 2023-24

D Zach Bogosian ($850K, UFA)
D Haydn Fleury ($762.5K, UFA)
F Brandon Hagel ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Pat Maroon ($1MM, UFA)
D Philippe Myers ($2.55MM in 2022-23, $1.4MM in 2023-24, UFA)
D Brent Seabrook ($6.875MM, UFA)
F Steven Stamkos ($8.5MM, UFA)

Stamkos isn’t really slowing down and has provided a lot of value on this contract as he continues to be a focal point of Tampa Bay’s attack.  Accordingly, he has positioned himself for a raise on his next deal if he wants to go after top dollar.  In that case, he could land an eight-digit AAV, especially with 2024 pegged as the summer for the Upper Limit to jump up by a fair-sized amount.  But if he wants to stick around with the Lightning, this feels like a situation where he could accept a longer-term contract to help try to bring the cap hit down somewhat relative to market value.  Such a deal would take him closer to age 40 which isn’t necessarily ideal but it would keep the price tag closer to where it is now which would allow them to keep the core around as long as possible.

The Lightning paid a sizable price to land Hagel thanks to what has quickly turned into one of the bigger bargains in the league.  If he continues to score around his current pace, he could make a case to quadruple his current price tag.  Even with a higher cap at that time, it might be tough for them to keep both Hagel and Stamkos around.  As for Maroon, he’s a fourth liner at this point and will be 36 when he hits the open market.  That will likely keep him around this price tag two years from now.

Let’s get Seabrook out of the way quickly.  You might have forgotten that he’s here now instead of in Chicago but his situation hasn’t changed as his playing career has come to an end.  He will remain on LTIR until this deal expires which means that Tampa Bay is going to have regular cap space for a few more years.

Myers came over during the summer in the Ryan McDonagh trade and while many expected him to be bought out to give Tampa Bay a cap credit, he was instead extended at this lower price.  Their cap situation has Myers in the minors right now but if he can lock down a regular spot next season, he could be able to land a deal a bit closer to what he’s getting this year.  Bogosian has had a limited role when healthy this season and is more of a depth defender at this point.  A deal around what he’s getting now is where his market should fall.  Fleury, meanwhile, has had a very limited role and until he can establish himself as a regular, his value is going to remain at or near the minimum salary.

Signed Through 2024-25

D Victor Hedman ($7.875MM, UFA)
D Nick Perbix ($1.125MM from 2023-24 through 2024-25, UFA)

Hedman has been Tampa Bay’s top defenseman for the better part of the last decade and hasn’t shown much in the way of signs of slowing down.  At a time when top rearguards are landing more than $10MM when they’re eligible for free agency, he has been a nice bargain for the Lightning and should continue to be for the rest of the deal.  When it’s up, his playing time should be starting to dip which could keep his AAV close to this one, especially if he re-signs.  Perbix has been a pleasant surprise this season which earned him this low-cost extension not too long ago.  It’s a low-risk proposition as if Myers or someone else passes Perbix on the depth chart, the deal can be buried in the minors without any lingering cap charge.

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Teams Showing Interest In Nick Seeler

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With the trade deadline now just a few weeks away, speculation has started to swirl about some of the prominent players that could be on the move in the coming days.  But the deadline certainly isn’t just about top-end talent as playoff-bound teams are often looking to shore up their depth as well.  One player that fits the depth designation is Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that teams are showing interest in the blueliner.

The 29-year-old has been a regular most nights on the back end for Philadelphia as he has suited up in 49 games so far, the second-most of his career.  Seeler has set career highs offensively with three goals and seven assists while recording 86 blocks and 79 hits while averaging a little over 14 minutes a night.

Those numbers don’t certainly stand out but there is a number that applies to Seeler that does – a cap hit of $775K, just $25K above the league minimum salary.  Even for teams that are right against the Upper Limit of the salary cap, that’s the type of contract that most will be able to afford which should help drum up some interest.

Seeler has one year left on his deal after this one and with Yegor Zamula and Ronnie Attard currently in the minors, it would make some sense for the Flyers to open up a spot for one of those youngsters for the stretch run.  If they can do so and pick up what would likely be a later-round draft pick, all the better.  While James van Riemsdyk will likely draw the most attention in the coming weeks, Seeler will be a player to keep an eye on as well.

Five Key Stories: 1/30/23 – 2/5/23

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The calendar has flipped to February and there was an uptick in activity around the NHL even with the All-Star break with those moves being highlighted in our key stories of the week.

Capitals Extend Two: It has taken Dylan Strome a while to find some stability but he has it now as the center inked a five-year, $25MM extension with Washington.  Strome was non-tendered by Chicago last summer and opted for a one-year, $3.5MM pact with the Caps, a move that has certainly worked out well for both sides.  The 25-year-old has 36 points in 51 games so far and will be a part of Washington’s plans down the middle for the foreseeable future.  Meanwhile, after having to take a two-way deal with the Capitals earlier in the season, Sonny Milano has earned a better second contract with them, agreeing to a three-year extension that carries a $1.9MM AAV.  Since being recalled in early November, the 26-year-old has been a good secondary producer, picking up 22 points in 40 games.

NHL Comeback: It has been a while since defenseman Nikita Tryamkin has played in the NHL – 2016-17 to be exact – but it’s possible that he’ll be back soon.  His agent indicated that the 28-year-old has declined an extension from Yekaterinburg of the KHL and that his focus is returning to play in the NHL next season.  In the past, his name has come up but as a restricted free agent, his options were either signing with Vancouver or hoping for a trade.  Now, Tryamkin is an unrestricted free agent in North America, giving him more options.  The 6’8 blueliner has 10 points in 57 KHL games this season and had 11 in 79 contests with the Canucks over parts of two seasons.

New Home For Horvat: One of the big trade dominoes fell as the Islanders acquired center Bo Horvat from Vancouver in exchange for winger Anthony Beauvillier, prospect center Aatu Raty, and a 2023 protected first-rounder (that becomes an unprotected 2024 pick if it’s not conveyed this year).  Vancouver also retained 25% of Horvat’s $5.5MM AAV, basically making the cap implications this season a wash.  The pending UFA is in the middle of a career year with 31 goals and 23 assists in 49 games but wasn’t able to come to terms on an extension with the Canucks.  While he hasn’t suited up for his new team yet, he quickly signed up for the long haul, agreeing to an eight-year, $68MM extension, ensuring their new one-two punch down the middle that also includes Mathew Barzal will be in place for years to come.  Meanwhile, the Canucks pick up a middle-six winger in Beauvillier, arguably New York’s top prospect in Raty, and a first-rounder as they look to kick-start a rebuild.

Key Injuries: Mark Stone has been a key player when healthy for the Golden Knights but staying in the lineup has proved to be challenging.  The veteran has now undergone back surgery with no timetable for his return.  It’s the second year in a row that the 30-year-old has had back surgery.  Despite missing eight games, Stone is second on the team in scoring and his absence will make it tougher for Vegas as they battle for top spot in the Pacific.  He’s eligible to be placed on LTIR which could open up $9.5MM in space for the Golden Knights but only if they know that he won’t be back for the rest of the year.  It’s too early for them to make that determination now.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets ruled out winger Gustav Nyquist for the remainder of the regular season due to a shoulder injury.  However, it’s expected that he will be able to return for the playoffs.  That won’t be happening in Columbus – they’re dead last in the East – but it does open up a window for them to still be able to trade him as long as it’s to a team with enough cap or LTIR room to accommodate his $5.5MM AAV.  The market will be weaker than what it would have been had he been healthy but Columbus should still be able to pick up a conditional pick.

Hull Dies: Hall of Fame winger Bobby Hull passed away at the age of 84.  He led the NHL in scoring three times with Chicago (including getting the Hart Trophy in 1965) and scored over 600 goals with them in 15 years.  Hull then jumped ship to the WHA where he spent seven more years in Winnipeg, scoring another 300 goals including a 77-goal campaign in 1974-75.  He was the first hockey player to receive a contract worth a million dollars, inking a ten-year contract worth $1.5MM per season.  Hull briefly returned to the NHL when the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979 and hung up his skates at the age of 41.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sharks Trade Jaycob Megna To Kraken

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The Kraken have made a move to add some defensive depth as they’ve acquired defenseman Jaycob Megna from San Jose in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick.  Both teams have confirmed the swap.

The 30-year-old had been a regular for the Sharks for most of the season, playing in a career-high 48 games.  He chipped in a goal with 11 assists along with 63 blocks and 75 hits while averaging more than 19 minutes per contest.  It’s unlikely that Megna will see that much ice time with Seattle as he is likely to be more of a depth defender with the Kraken when everyone is healthy.  Megna has played in 135 NHL contests between Anaheim and San Jose for his career, collecting four goals and 21 assists.

Megna represents a low-cost depth addition for Seattle, both in terms of the acquisition cost and salary.  On the contract front, he’s in the first season of a two-year, minimum-salary deal with an AAV of $762,500.  Next season, that will be below the league minimum which will give him some extra value.  As for the draft pick, Seattle will get to choose between sending their fourth-round selection or Colorado’s and will be required to make that choice by June 15th.

At the moment, Seattle had been carrying the minimum of six healthy defenders on the roster thanks to the injury to Justin Schultz that has kept him out of the lineup for the last couple of weeks.  Megna will battle Cale Fleury for playing time in Schultz’s absence.  The Kraken had two open roster spots prior to the swap so no corresponding move will need to be made to add him to their lineup.

Snapshots: Penguins, Stauber, Avalanche, Duclair

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If the Penguins are going to be buyers for next month’s trade deadline, there’s at least one key asset that they’re not willing to move.  Speaking with reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, GM Ron Hextall stated that they won’t be willing to move their first-round pick.  At this time, Hextall plans to try to add a piece if he can, stating that “If we can do something to make us better this year, I’m looking to do it”.  However, with limited space to work with (they have just $1.35MM in LTIR space at the moment per CapFriendly), any move they’re looking to make at this point is probably going to be of the depth variety.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Blackhawks announced that they have recalled goaltender Jaxson Stauber from AHL Rockford. The 23-year-old was sent down over the All-Star break but didn’t see any game action with the IceHogs during that stretch.  Stauber won his first two career NHL starts last month, allowing just four goals on 67 shots and has a 3.06 GAA and a .896 SV% in ten minor league contests.
  • There’s some good news on the horizon for the Avalanche when it comes to the injury front. Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Valeri Nichushkin will return on Tuesday against Colorado.  Byram has missed the last 38 games due to a lower-body injury but had been logging nearly 21 minutes a night in his first ten appearances where he picked up five points.  Nichushkin, meanwhile, returns from his second ankle injury of the year.  He has been quite productive when he has been in the lineup, collecting 18 points in 20 games.  Meanwhile, it’s also possible that blueliner Josh Manson accompanies the team on the trip; he has been out for more than two months with a lower-body injury.
  • The Panthers are hopeful that winger Anthony Duclair will be able to rejoin the team for practice this week, notes Katie Engelson of Bally Sports Florida (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the entire season so far as he recovered from a torn Achilles.  Last season, Duclair had a career year with 31 goals and 27 assists and Florida could really use him back as they look to get back into the playoff picture.  With Patric Hornqvist (concussion) on LTIR, they’re not currently in a spot where they need to trade someone in order to free up the cap space to activate Duclair when he’s ready to return.

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