Snapshots: Schultz, Bortuzzo, Kapanen
The Kraken have been without Justin Schultz for the last week and it appears they’ll be missing him a little longer as team reporter Bob Condor mentions that the defenseman is now listed as being out week to week. Schultz has done well in his first season with Seattle, notching 24 points in 42 games so far, already surpassing his point total from a year ago in 32 fewer contests. With the All-Star break upcoming, it appears the earliest he’ll be able to return is February 5th. For the time being, the team is keeping Schultz on the active roster. If they need to open up a roster spot, they’ll be able to place him on injured reserve retroactively to the date of injury which means he could be activated at any time.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo could return at some point on their current road trip, relays NHL.com’s Lou Korac (Twitter link). The veteran has missed the last two-and-a-half weeks with a lower-body injury sustained against Montreal. Bortuzzo doesn’t produce much offensively – he has just one point in 30 games this season – but is still a serviceable stay-at-home option on their third pairing. Louis has an open roster spot at the moment so whenever he is eligible to be activated, they won’t need to make room for him.
- Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen returned to practice today in a non-contact jersey, notes Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He has been out for the last week with an undisclosed injury and while the 26-year-old declined to go into specifics, he did call it “something that I didn’t expect to turn into something bigger”. Kapanen had been scuffling a bit offensively before the injury, notching just a single goal in his last 19 games but he still has 17 points in 35 appearances this season despite logging less than 12 minutes a night.
Red Wings Notes: Zadina, Bertuzzi, Johansson
Filip Zadina’s return to the ice has had some ups and downs as the winger has dealt with various setbacks that have delayed his return. However, he told team reporter Jonathan Mills that at this point, all he’s waiting for is the sign-off from team doctors to return to the lineup with the hopes of getting in before next week’s All-Star break. Zadina has missed a bit more than ten weeks due to a lower-body injury, one that was initially supposed to sideline him for six to eight weeks. He has been limited to just nine games this season and is still looking for his first point which isn’t the type of bounce-back anyone was hoping for in the first year of his three-year bridge deal
More from Detroit:
- Winger Tyler Bertuzzi is also nearing a return as MLive’s Ansar Khan reports (Twitter link) that the veteran is expected to return on Thursday against Montreal. The 27-year-old suffered a lower-body injury back last Thursday and has missed the last two games. This season hasn’t gone anywhere near the way Bertuzzi had hoped as he has missed time with three separate injuries and has just a goal and four assists in 15 games. That’s hardly the type of production he was hoping for heading into the final year of his contract with his first crack at unrestricted free agency to follow.
- Prospect Anton Johansson has signed an upgraded contract, per an announcement from SHL Leksand. The 18-year-old defenseman was a fourth-round pick last summer (105th overall) and started the year at the junior level but has played in 13 games with Leksand at the top level. That playing time necessitated an adjusted contract but it still only runs through this season. However, it’s likely that Johansson will remain in the SHL for the foreseeable future which will be a good test development-wise.
Five Key Stories: 1/16/23 – 1/22/23
There was plenty of big news around the NHL over the past seven days including a big contract extension and a coaching change. Those are among the news that’s highlighted in our key stories.
Tocchet To Vancouver: After weeks, if not months of speculation, the long-expected coaching change in Vancouver happened with Rick Tocchet being hired to take the place of Bruce Boudreau. In addition, the Canucks hired long-time NHL blueliners Adam Foote (assistant coach) and Sergei Gonchar (development coach) while letting assistant Trent Cull go. This is the third head coaching role for Tocchet whose teams with Tampa Bay and Arizona played to a .475 points percentage over parts of six seasons. As for Boudreau, Vancouver played to a .549 points percentage over 103 games but the team had been struggling considerably this season and are 14 points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
More Canucks Changes? At a press conference early in the week, Canucks president Jim Rutherford indicated that “major surgery” on the roster will be needed for next season. Pending UFA center Bo Horvat appears likely to move in the coming weeks but clearly, he has more than that in mind. Moving pricey contracts is harder than ever so Vancouver’s management group will have their work cut out for them to do the shakeup that they’re seeking. One player that they’re hoping won’t be a part of those changes is rookie winger Andrei Kuzmenko as Rutherford stated that extension talks with the pending unrestricted free agent are underway. Kuzmenko has 41 points in 45 games this season and will be adding quite a few million per year to the $925K he’s getting on his entry-level deal over the coming months.
Seven For Boldy: With Minnesota’s cap situation getting even tighter next season as buyout costs for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter get higher, there was an expectation that they might have to do a bridge deal for young winger Matt Boldy. That wasn’t the case, however, as they inked the 21-year-old to a seven-year, $49MM extension that begins next season and runs through 2029-30. Boldy is in just his second NHL season but has been productive in his limited action with 29 goals and 42 assists in 92 career contests. Minnesota is banking on Boldy taking another step forward offensively and if he does, this could wind up being a bargain fairly quickly. They now have over $74MM in commitments to just 14 players for next season which won’t give GM Bill Guerin much flexibility with which to round out their roster.
Kane Returns: As the Oilers look to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference, they welcomed back a key player as Evander Kane was activated off LTIR. Kane landed on there early in the season after having his wrist sliced by a skate and while he wound up being out for two months, he still returned well ahead of schedule. Kane has 13 points in 17 games so far this season and is already back on the top line alongside Connor McDavid. To create the cap space needed to activate Kane, Edmonton placed winger Kailer Yamamoto and defenseman Ryan Murray on LTIR. Yamamoto is expected to be out for a few weeks which buys them a little time but, barring further injuries, they will need to make some cap-clearing demotions once the winger returns.
Key Injuries: Unfortunately, Max Pacioretty’s return for the Hurricanes was short-lived. After working his way back from a torn Achilles that he sustained in the offseason, he suffered the same injury in just his fifth game of the year and will be out for the season. It’s hardly an ideal situation for the veteran as he’s eligible for free agency this summer while Carolina was certainly hoping to get more from a key offseason acquisition although they’ll be able to spend up to his $7MM AAV on a replacement. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have shut down winger Cole Caufield due to a shoulder injury that will require surgery in the coming days. The 22-year-old had 26 goals in 46 games this season, his final one before being eligible for restricted free agency in July.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Graves, Stanley, Gauthier
The Devils have yet to begin discussions regarding defenseman Ryan Graves, his agent Allain Roy confirmed to James Nichols of The Fourth Period. The 27-year-old is in the final season of a three-year, $9.5MM contract and has 16 points in 42 games for New Jersey so far this year despite seeing his playing time dip by nearly two minutes a night compared to 2021-22. He’s well-positioned to earn at least a small raise that could push him toward the $5MM mark on his next deal. At the moment, the Devils only have four regular blueliners signed for next season with Damon Severson joining Graves among the UFA-eligible defenders this summer. They already have nearly $19MM in commitments to the four they have so they might not want to keep both Graves and Severson in the fold for next season knowing those two could push the combined cost on their back end past the $30MM mark.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Jets defenseman Logan Stanley wasn’t in the lineup tonight against Philadelphia but associate coach Scott Arniel told Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link) that the blueliner could be ready to return on Tuesday. Stanley has been out of the lineup for a little more than six weeks with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old has been limited to just seven games this season which is a hardly ideal platform year for someone eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this summer.
- The Rangers are optimistic that winger Julien Gauthier will be able to return Monday against Florida, notes Ethan Sears of the New York Post. The 25-year-old has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury and is currently on injured reserve although a roster spot was created when Jonny Brodzinski was sent down after clearing waivers earlier today. Gauthier started the season with AHL Hartford but has six goals in 32 games with New York since being recalled despite averaging just 8:29 per night.
Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Olofsson, Dorion
The Red Wings recently presented a new extension offer to pending UFA center Dylan Larkin, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. However, it does not appear to have moved the needle much as Pagnotta notes that there remains a sizable gap to bridge in discussions. Larkin has made it clear that he wants to remain in Detroit and it seems likely that both sides are looking for a long-term agreement which means money would be the gap they’re trying to work through. After finishing just under a point per game last season, the 26-year-old is on a similar pace this season and his camp could point to Mathew Barzal’s extension that carries a $9.15MM AAV as a possible comparable in negotiations. If something can’t be worked out in the next six weeks leading up to the trade deadline, Larkin could become a trade candidate if they don’t want to run the risk of losing him for nothing this summer.
More from the Atlantic:
- While Sabres winger Victor Olofsson has opted for short-term contracts in each of his last two negotiations, he told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that he hopes to remain with Buffalo long-term. The 27-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, $9.5MM deal and has 21 goals in 45 games so far this season, good for third on the team. Will that be enough to land the long-term commitment that he wants? He’ll be eligible for an extension on July 1st so he’ll have to wait a little while to potentially find out.
- There has been a belief that the Senators are shopping for help on the back end and NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis notes (Twitter link) that Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion is watching the Kings for the second time in four days. Los Angeles has four right-shot defenders on their roster plus promising prospect Jordan Spence in the minors so their surplus could certainly be of interest to the Sens. Notably, none of those blueliners are on expiring contracts so Dorion would be taking on a two-year commitment if he finds a trade he likes to improve their defense corps.
Jonny Brodzinski Clears Waivers
Jan 22: Brodzinski has cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Rangers are free to re-assign him to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
Jan 21: The Rangers have been shuffling around their fourth line all season and it appears another change could be forthcoming as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed winger Jonny Brodzinski on waivers.
This is the second time that the 29-year-old has been on the waiver wire this season having also been there at the end of training camp. Brodzinski cleared at that time and spent most of the first two months of the year with AHL Hartford where he picked up two goals and seven assists in 17 games. He was recalled in early December and has basically been up since then, seeing action in 16 games with the big club, notching a goal and an assist in a little over nine minutes of playing time per game. Having played in more than 10 games, he needs to clear waivers again before he can rejoin the Wolf Pack.
Brodzinski is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal worth the NHL minimum in both seasons, good for a cap hit of $762.5K. He has seen NHL action in each of the last seven years spanning 100 games along the way. New York didn’t need to waive him as they had an open roster spot already but if he passes through unclaimed on Sunday, it will allow them to send Brodzinski down or at least shuffle him back and forth a bit to bank some extra cap space heading into the trade deadline in early March.
East Notes: Bobrovsky, Kleven, Fasching, Monahan
The Panthers will be without goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for at least the next three games, reports Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). However, the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to return soon after that. Bobrovsky suffered a lower-body injury early in Thursday’s victory over Montreal which was particularly noteworthy with Spencer Knight currently on injured reserve. However, his conditioning stint is likely to be short-lived as he could rejoin Florida on Monday in advance of their back-to-back set. If the Panthers are going to claw their way back into the playoff picture, they’ll need both of their regular netminders healthy and it appears they won’t have to wait much longer for that to be the case.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Senators prospect Tyler Kleven is expected to turn pro after this season, mentions Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The defenseman was a second-round pick by Ottawa in 2020 (44th overall) and the team tried to get him to sign before this season but the 21-year-old wanted to stay for one more year at North Dakota. That year is going pretty well as Kleven has 11 points along with 52 penalty minutes in 21 games so far.
- Islanders winger Hudson Fasching is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 27-year-old missed Thursday’s game and did not take part in the morning skate today. Despite the setback, it has been a successful season thus far for Fasching who has played in a career-high 19 games so far, notching three goals and two assists while logging over a dozen minutes a night.
- While the Canadiens lost a key forward in Cole Caufield today, they’re closer to getting another one back as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter link) that center Sean Monahan took part in the morning skate in a non-contact jersey. The 28-year-old has missed the last six weeks with a foot injury but had gotten off to a good start before that with 17 points in 25 games. A pending unrestricted free agent, Monahan is expected to be one of Montreal’s top trade chips heading into the March 3rd trade deadline.
Maple Leafs Have Shown Interest In Jake McCabe
With veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin out indefinitely and with it not appearing as if he will be back anytime soon, there has been an expectation that the Maple Leafs will look outside the organization to try to shore up their back end. It appears one of the options they’re interested in is Blackhawks blueliner Jake McCabe, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link).
The 29-year-old is in his second season with Chicago after spending his first eight NHL seasons with Buffalo. While McCabe isn’t known for his point production (the 22 he had last season stands as his career-high), he has been a quality defensive defender that can block shots and play with a physical edge which are some of the elements that Muzzin was bringing to the table for Toronto prior to his cervical spine injury.
McCabe has two seasons left on his contract after this one that carries a $4MM AAV. On the surface, it would be difficult to see McCabe fitting into Toronto’s salary structure but there are a couple of ways it could potentially work. The first would be convincing Chicago to retain part of the contract to help make the money work; teams can retain up to 50% in a trade. However, getting them to hold back that much would undoubtedly make the acquisition cost considerably higher, especially with the term left on the deal.
The other option is one that they’ll have to wait on for a while. Muzzin is expected to be re-evaluated at some point next month and if they get word that the veteran won’t be back at all this season, Toronto could then fit McCabe’s full AAV into their LTIR pool which includes Muzzin’s $5.625MM AAV. There would still be some questions about making the money work beyond 2022-23, however, barring some sort of indication that Muzzin’s injury is going to continue to linger.
Worth noting is that McCabe also has a seven-team no-trade clause. While Seravalli notes that the majority of those no-trade teams are Canadian franchises, the Maple Leafs appear to be the one exception which would suggest that he’s amenable to joining them.
Again, with Muzzin’s situation, this isn’t a move that the Maple Leafs will be able to make until they get some further clarity on their veteran. But that doesn’t stop them from exploring their options in the meantime and McCabe is certainly an interesting target to help replace a lot of what Muzzin brought to the table when he was healthy.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Central Notes: Jets, Tarasenko, Avalanche
The Jets find themselves in a situation that not many expected them to be in at this point of the season as they’re battling for first in the Central Division. They also happen to have some cap flexibility unlike several of their competitors so they’re likely to be buyers over the next six weeks. To that end, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that Sharks winger Timo Meier could be the right target for Winnipeg. While a $10MM qualifying offer looms large, that can be overcome with a long-term agreement beforehand while it could also offer some insurance with Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Connor Hellebuyck (plus potentially Pierre-Luc Dubois) all set to hit the open market in 2024. Winnipeg has all their first-round picks and some young prospects that might be intriguing to San Jose should they decide to move on from the 26-year-old.
More from the Central:
- While Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko won’t play tonight, he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hand injury, reports Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The veteran suffered the injury on New Year’s Eve and was supposed to be re-evaluated in four weeks to see how much longer he’ll be out. However, he has already returned to practice and it seems like a matter of days at most before he’ll be able to return. Tarasenko has 29 points in 34 games this season and would be a welcome addition back to the lineup as St. Louis looks to claw their way back into the playoff race. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll be an intriguing rental option for teams at the trade deadline.
- After not picking until the sixth round of the draft last year, it would be understandable for the Avalanche to want to hold onto their first-rounder this season, especially since their next-highest pick is in the fifth round. However, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post posits that with their track record when it comes to first-rounders that are in the back half, they’d be better off moving it to aid in their push for a playoff spot this season. Colorado enters play today tied for the final Wild Card spot in the West in large part due to a long list of injuries but if and when they can get healthy, they would likely be viewed as a contender even with a lower seed.
Atlantic Notes: Bergeron, Motte, Bertuzzi
Load management is a term that has become more commonplace in the NBA in recent seasons but it’s not something that’s typically done with any sort of regularity in the NHL. However, that could be changing as Bruins center Patrice Bergeron acknowledged to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that the team has talked to him about the possibility of selectively resting him down the stretch. The 37-year-old is in the midst of another strong season and has 36 points in 45 games so far while anchoring their top line but at his age and the minutes he has logged over the years, a night off here and there might not be a bad idea. Of course, it certainly helps that Boston has a 13-point lead on Toronto in the Atlantic Division, giving them a sizable cushion that lessens any risk from attempting to give their top center some extra rest.
More from the Atlantic:
- Senators winger Tyler Motte’s recovery from a finger injury isn’t going as well as the team hoped, notes Postmedia’s Ken Warren. The 27-year-old suffered the injury just before the holiday break and will now be out until after the All-Star break and bye week. Motte was a late signee in the offseason, inking a one-year, $1.35MM deal with Ottawa but things haven’t gone accordingly to plan this season as he has been relatively quiet when he has been in the lineup with just three goals and six assists in 32 games.
- While the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Bertuzzi won’t be available tonight due to injury, it’s not expected to be a long-term issue, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. It has been a year to forget so far for the 27-year-old who has been limited to just 15 appearances thus far after breaking both hands this season. Bertuzzi has just a goal and four assists when he has been in the lineup, hardly the type of year he was hoping for as he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.