Josh Anderson Receives Two-Game Suspension
For the second time today, the Department of Player Safety has issued a two-game suspension. This time, it will be Canadiens winger Josh Anderson who sits as the league issued (video link) a two-game ban for boarding.
The incident occurred midway through the third period in Saturday’s game against Vegas when Anderson hit blueliner Alex Pietrangelo from behind in front of the Golden Knights’ bench. Pietrangelo was able to remain in the game while Anderson received a five-minute major penalty plus a game misconduct on the play. The video notes how Anderson changed his angle in order to deliver the hit, one that drove him forcibly into the boards.
This is the first suspension for Anderson who will miss Montreal’s upcoming games against Detroit and Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. He will forfeit nearly $60K in salary with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Snapshots: Wild, Voracek, Carlson, Klok
Minnesota could soon get a key winger back as Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays (Twitter link) that the team is optimistic that Jordan Greenway will play in at least half of their upcoming back-to-back next week which begins on Thursday. The 25-year-old missed the start of the season due to an upper-body injury and in his first game back, suffered another upper-body issue on his third shift of the game. Last year, he had 27 points in 62 games for the Wild while chipping in with 155 hits and would be a welcome addition to a team that is banged up when it comes to their forward situation.
To that end, the Wild will recall a pair of forwards before heading out on the road as Ryan Hartman and Brandon Duhaime aren’t expected to make the trip. With Minnesota currently banking cap space, it’s in their best interest to delay formalizing those recalls for at least a couple more days.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- It has been a rough start to the season for the Blue Jackets and things aren’t getting any better as the team announced (Twitter link) that they were without winger Jakub Voracek for the second half of their back-to-back set against Colorado due to an upper-body injury. The veteran is off to a bit of a quiet start this season with just a goal and five assists through his first 11 games. Voracek is being listed as day-to-day.
- Capitals blueliner John Carlson has returned to practice, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). However, while he took part in the full game day skate, he’s not eligible to be activated off injured reserve until Monday but it appears he won’t be out much longer than the minimum time required.
- After having his contract terminated by the Coyotes last month, defenseman Lukas Klok has found his next home as Rogle of the SHL announced that they’ve signed him to a contract for the rest of the season. The 27-year-old signed with Arizona after a strong showing in the KHL but after four games in the minors, he decided that he was better off going back overseas. Klok has quickly become a bit of a journeyman as this will be the sixth different league and country that he has played in since 2018.
Coyotes Recall Laurent Dauphin
7:00 pm: The Coyotes appear to have made a corresponding move, placing forward Nick Schmaltz on IR, according to CapFriendly. The Coyotes’ star center has only played one game this season and has been out since mid-October with an upper-body injury. Then, nearly three weeks ago, Schmaltz was considered out six-to-eight weeks. It’s unclear if that timetable has been changed at all.
3:57 pmA strong start in the minors has led to another NHL opportunity for Laurent Dauphin as the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled the center from Tucson of the AHL.
The 27-year-old was originally drafted by the Coyotes but a good chunk of his NHL action came elsewhere as he played in 38 games with Montreal last season, recording a dozen points. Overall, between the two organizations, he has 16 points in 73 NHL contests. Dauphin is averaging a point per game in the minors in the early going this season with five goals and three assists in eight contests while being named Player of the Week last month.
Dauphin’s recall was an expected one as Arizona has been carrying just 11 forwards on their active roster following the injury to Zack Kassian who has been ruled out for the five-game Eastern portion of their 14-game road trip due to a lower-body injury so it was only a matter of time before a replacement forward was brought up. He won’t be in the lineup tonight in Washington (the team is expected to dress seven defenders) but should be available to suit up on Tuesday in Buffalo to officially begin his second stint with the team.
Atlantic Notes: Senators Sale, Lightning, Krejci, Miller
With it being announced yesterday that the Senators are initiating a process to examine selling the team, it’s expected that there will be several expressions of interest and there have been a handful of speculative possibilities so far for people that could be minority partners as part of a group of investors. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes (Twitter link) that the NHL’s preference is to find a single buyer that can own at least a majority of the team over a collection of shareholders. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they’ll be able to find one but on top of finding someone that will commit to keeping the team in Ottawa, they have other preferences in terms of who they’d prefer as the next owner of the team.
More from the Atlantic:
- A pair of key Lightning players are questionable to suit up tonight as team reporter Chris Krenn relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Victor Hedman and center Nick Paul are both listed as game-time decisions. Hedman has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury while Paul played in Thursday’s loss to Carolina.
- The Bruins will get a key part of their attack back tonight as ESPN’s Kristen Shilton relays (Twitter link) that center David Krejci will return to the lineup after missing the last three games due to an upper-body injury. It has been a strong return to the NHL for the 36-year-old as he’s averaging a point per game through his first eight contests while anchoring the second line which is the same role he had prior to him leaving to go play at home last season.
- Still with Boston, following the Bruins’ decision to sign Mitchell Miller yesterday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was asked to weigh in. He told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the 20-year-old is not presently NHL-eligible and that there’s a possibility that Miller may never be ruled eligible to play at the top level. Substack columnist Sean Shapiro then reached out (Twitter link) to the AHL for comment based on Bettman’s remarks with the league’s response being that President Scott Howson would have to determine his eligibility since he is under suspension in the NHL so it’s not a guarantee that he’ll be able to play there either.
Capitals Claim Nicolas Aube-Kubel Off Waivers From Maple Leafs
With Connor Brown done for the season due to ACL surgery, the Capitals have his $3.6MM cap hit to work with for LTIR space. They used a chunk of that today as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Washington has claimed winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel off waivers from Toronto.
It’s the second straight season that the 26-year-old has been plucked off the waiver wire in November as a year ago, Colorado scooped him up from Philadelphia. He went on to have a strong finish to his season with 11 goals and 11 assists in 67 games with the Avs while suiting up 14 times in their Stanley Cup run, leading to him signing a one-year, $1MM contract with the Maple Leafs on the opening day of free agency last summer.
However, things didn’t go particularly well for Aube-Kubel with Toronto as he was a healthy scratch in five of their first 11 games this season while he was held off the scoresheet in six games while logging just over nine minutes per game and with a need for some roster flexibility, they decided that Aube-Kubel was the one to part with. Notably, on top of the cap savings and roster spot being opened, this also frees up a contract slot for Toronto who was at the maximum of 50 prior to this claim.
Meanwhile, for Washington, it’s a low-risk move to bring in a bottom-six forward with some NHL experience as Aube-Kubel has 175 career NHL appearances under his belt which will give Peter Laviolette another option as he looks to find the right combination on the fourth line. With the Caps having a full roster, they’ve assigned Garrett Pilon to AHL Hershey to open up a spot on their 23-man roster. Pilon has five points in seven games with the Bears so far this season.
Devils Recall Akira Schmid, Send Andreas Johnsson To AHL
With Mackenzie Blackwood suffering a lower-body injury while stretching across to make a stop against Edmonton on Thursday, the Devils needed a second goaltender. That second netminder will be Akira Schmid as the team announced today (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Utica. To make room for him on the roster, winger Andreas Johnsson has been sent down to the Comets.
The 22-year-old Schmid has played in four games so far this season with Utica, posting a 1.97 GAA along with a .918 SV%, numbers that are considerably better than the ones that Nico Daws has put up so far which helped Schmid earn the nod. He does have a bit of NHL experience having played in six games with the Devils last season but he struggled in those appearances to the tune of a 4.83 GAA and a save percentage of just .833. Vitek Vanecek will likely get the bulk of the workload until Blackwood is able to return and no timeline has been provided on that front yet.
As for Johnsson, the 27-year-old actually had the second-best year of his career last season with New Jersey, collecting 13 goals and 22 points in 71 games. However, with a $3.4MM AAV and a tenuous hold on a roster spot, the Devils correctly predicted that he’d pass through waivers unclaimed last month, allowing him to be shuffled back and forth as roster needs warrant. He hasn’t played with the Devils this season and has six points in four games with the Comets so far.
Dylan Guenther To Remain With Coyotes, Will Burn First Season Of Contract
This is the time of year when some teams will need to make decisions about any junior-aged players they might have. Once a player plays in ten NHL games, they officially begin (or burn) the first year of their entry-level contract. One of the players in that situation was Coyotes winger Dylan Guenther. The decision has been made and the 19-year-old will remain with the big club with the news being broken to him by his family (Twitter link).
Guenther was the ninth overall selection in 2021 with a pick that was acquired from Vancouver as part of the swap that sent defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and winger Conor Garland to the Canucks. He lit it up with Edmonton of the WHL last season, scoring 45 goals while adding 46 assists in just 59 games while adding another 21 points (13-8-21) in just 16 playoff contests. Accordingly, there wasn’t much left for him to do at the major junior level but he’s ineligible to play with AHL Tucson this season (aside from a short-term conditioning stint) which left his options as Arizona or the WHL.
The Coyotes kept Guenther up after a good showing in training camp and he has rewarded them with a strong start to his rookie campaign with two goals and four helpers through his first nine contests. Perhaps as important as the production is the fact that he’s logging nearly 13 minutes a night which is a decent amount of ice time for a junior-aged player. That type of playing time should be sustainable throughout the year, especially with Arizona struggling a bit offensively as they sit 30th in the NHL in goals scored heading into today’s action.
With this news, Guenther will become a restricted free agent in the 2025 offseason but there is still one more threshold to watch for which is 40 games on the active roster. Once he gets to that mark, he then accrues a season of service time toward unrestricted free agency which would allow him to hit the open market at 26 instead of 27. He won’t get to that mark for a few months so there will be plenty of time for his evaluation to continue.
Injury Updates: Norris, Saad, Matheson, Mitchell
While it was recently revealed that Senators center Josh Norris would miss several months due to needing shoulder surgery, that procedure hasn’t happened yet. Instead, as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports, the 23-year-old is seeking a second opinion in the hopes of avoiding having to go under the knife and miss that much time. Head coach D.J. Smith indicated that the team is still proceeding with the expectation that Norris won’t be available for the rest of the season while Garrioch notes a final decision from the center is expected in the next couple of days.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Blues winger Brandon Saad has resumed practicing as he works his way back from a back injury, relays Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 30-year-old has missed six straight due to the issue and hasn’t gotten onto the scoresheet in his three contests so far this season. At this point, there’s no timeline for a return just yet and it’s worth noting that he’s not on injured reserve so a roster move won’t need to be made when he gets the green light to suit up.
- Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson skated today for the first time as he continues to work his way back from an abdominal injury, relays TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 28-year-old was originally designated as day-to-day but that was later amended to an eight-week absence. There still are a few weeks left in that timeframe so it’s unlikely that Montreal will be getting one of its top defenders back for a little while yet.
- Blackhawks defenseman Ian Mitchell told reporters including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) that his wrist injury basically boils down to a pain tolerance issue at this point. He’s hoping to skate with the team next week when they return from their current road trip and if all goes well, he could be cleared to return soon after. That said, while he should be getting back to game action before much longer, it appears that this injury will linger for a little while yet.
Red Wings Recall Austin Czarnik
It appears as if Detroit native Austin Czarnik will get an opportunity to suit up for his hometown team as the Red Wings announced that they have recalled the winger from Grand Rapids of the AHL.
The 29-year-old signed with Detroit last summer after splitting last season between the Islanders and Kraken, inking a two-year deal worth the NHL minimum while guaranteeing him $450K in salary each year. This season, he has played exclusively in the minors so far and leads the Griffins in goals (five) while being tied for the lead in points (ten) through his first eight contests.
While Czarnik has bounced back and forth between the NHL and the AHL throughout his career, he has seen action at the top level in each of his first six full professional seasons with a good chance of making it seven now that he’s up with the Red Wings. Overall, he has 15 goals and 30 assists across 142 NHL contests.
Detroit had an open roster spot to work with even after converting winger Matt Luff‘s promotion to a regular recall earlier this week so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Czarnik up.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues
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.
St. Louis Blues
Current Cap Hit: $84,237,279 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Jake Neighbours (three years, $835K)
Potential Bonuses
Neighbours: $82.5K
After holding his own in a nine-game stint last season, Neighbours is expected to hold down a regular spot this year. It’s too early to forecast the next contract for the 2020 first rounder but it’s worth noting that his bonuses are games-played based and with St. Louis into LTIR, those could roll over and be applied on their cap next season.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Noel Acciari ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Ivan Barbashev ($2.2MM, UFA)
F Logan Brown ($750K, RFA)
G Thomas Greiss ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Niko Mikkola ($1.9MM, UFA)
D Scott Perunovich ($750K, RFA)
F Tyler Pitlick ($750K, UFA)
F Ryan O’Reilly ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Vladimir Tarasenko ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Alexey Toropchenko ($750K, RFA)
Potential Bonuses
Greiss: $250K
O’Reilly is the veteran that many expect to be the one that ultimately gets re-signed. While he’s off to a particularly tough start this season, the 31-year-old has been a strong two-way center over the past several years while being elite at the faceoff dot. Those are elements that will certainly be in high demand and should keep his cost high even as he slows down offensively. Right now, a small dip could be expected but if he turns around and has a 25-goal, 60-point year when all is said and done, his next contract could be very close to this one.
Tarasenko’s future in St. Louis has been in question dating back to last season when his trade request wasn’t granted. To his credit, he responded in the best way possible with a career year that saw him pick up 82 points in 78 games while he’s off to a pretty good start early on this season as well. In doing so, he has put some of the questions about the health of his shoulders to rest as well. At this point, it’s still difficult to see him staying in St. Louis (especially with who else needs to be re-signed) but the 30-year-old is certainly positioning himself to be one of the top wingers on the open market next summer. Accordingly, another contract in this range could be doable.
Barbashev is a player many are keeping an eye on this season to see if his 60-point performance was a one-off or a sign of things to come. If it’s the former, a small raise to an AAV starting with a three could still be doable but a repeat showing could double that on the open market. Acciari has impressed the coaching staff early on and was bumped up to the front line but that’s likely a short-term promotion. He’s more of an energy player and as long as he stays healthy, it should be mission accomplished on bolstering his value which could put him in a spot for a multi-year agreement in the $1.5MM range. Pitlick couldn’t land a guaranteed deal through training camp but got one off an extended PTO. That’s likely to be the route he needs to take next year.
As for the RFA-bound forwards, both Brown and Toropchenko are at the stage where they’re looking to establish themselves as NHL regulars. Both have had limited ice time in the games they’ve played so far and that alone isn’t going to be enough to land a raise of significance. St. Louis will need to keep these end-of-roster spots at or near the minimum so it will be interesting to see if they can get these two to take another year around this price tag.
Mikkola was scratched at times last season but still managed to get this deal in exchange for avoiding arbitration this past summer. His role has been quite limited this year which doesn’t bode well for his market value. However, he still has fewer than 100 NHL games under his belt so there could be a team that feels there’s some untapped upside so even if he stays in a number six role, his market could be strong enough to get a small raise next summer. Perunovich took a one-year show-me deal and then fractured his shoulder which will probably keep him out for the rest of the year. Accordingly, another one-year, low-cost pact could be coming his way, especially since he won’t accrue a season toward arbitration eligibility if he doesn’t play this season.
Greiss was brought over in free agency to be a more cost-friendly backup goaltender but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him kept below 20 starts to avoid the bonus payout. He’ll be 37 next summer so he’ll likely be on one-year deals from here on out but after a tough year with Detroit, a bounce-back showing could give him a stronger market in July.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Robert Bortuzzo ($950K, UFA)
D Calle Rosen ($762.5K, UFA)
D Marco Scandella ($3.275MM, UFA)
F Nathan Walker ($750K in 2022-23, $775K in 2023-24, UFA)
Walker is a nice story of perseverance as next season will be his first one-way contract after nine seasons on a two-way deal. He’s one of those players that fits at the minimum in an end-of-roster spot but it’s hard to see him getting much more than what he will get next year.
Scandella fit in well after he was acquired midseason in 2020 but this contract hasn’t been a good one for them. He struggled last year and will miss most (if not all) of this season after undergoing hip surgery which has created the LTIR space that they’re currently using. At this point, he’s someone that could be looking at a pay cut of 50% or more in 2024. Bortuzzo is a depth defender that has signed a variety of low-cost deals to stay with the Blues. If they’re comfortable with him in a seventh role two years from now, that trend could continue with a contract similar in value to this one. Rosen has bounced around in recent years between the NHL and AHL and is likely to stay at or close to the minimum unless he’s able to establish himself as a full-timer at the top level.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Pavel Buchnevich ($5.8MM, UFA)
The 27-year-old fit in quite well last season, putting together a career year in his first season with St. Louis. If he can repeat that performance over the next few seasons, Buchnevich could be highly sought after in 2025 with a price tag that would be similar to Tarasenko’s. That’s a big if, however, but even if he checks in closer to the 60-point range instead of the 76 from a year ago, he could get closer to the $6.5MM range on his next contract.