Canadiens Place Corey Schueneman In COVID Protocol
Most of the Canadiens went through COVID protocol in late December when the team was at one point down more than 20 players. However, a handful of them didn’t contract the virus at that time and one of the ones who didn’t – defenseman Corey Schueneman, has been placed in COVID protocol, per a team announcement (Twitter link).
The 26-year-old was recently recalled to Montreal to take the place of injured defenseman Ben Chiarot and played a career-high 21:24 in Thursday’s victory over St. Louis while being one of two defenders to see time in overtime. Schueneman was likely set to be the one going back down to the minors with Chiarot expected to return on Sunday and this placement will create the roster spot needed to bring the veteran off injured reserve.
Worth noting is that just before being recalled to the Canadiens, Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Laval had a COVID outbreak of their own that has resulted in seven players being added to protocol. Schueneman will have to miss at least the next five days as a result of the placement, one that could be longer if he’s symptomatic.
Injury Updates: Islanders, Canadiens, Tarasenko
The Islanders will be without winger Oliver Wahlstrom for tomorrow’s game against Montreal due to an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). He was injured in Thursday’s victory over Boston and is listed as day-to-day. The good news for New York is that they’re expected to welcome winger Josh Bailey back after he missed Thursday’s contest. Meanwhile, Semyon Varlamov has returned to New York after testing positive for COVID while in Western Canada. He remains unavailable for the time being.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The Canadiens are expected to have defenseman Ben Chiarot back in the lineup tomorrow, notes TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link). The blueliner was injured last weekend against Columbus and while it was a minor injury, they needed to move him to IR to free up a roster spot to bring up a replacement for him. Chiarot is widely expected to be traded by the deadline but it appears Montreal isn’t ready to hold him out of action as a precautionary measure just yet.
- Still with Montreal, the Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that Joel Armia is listed as day-to-day and will not play tomorrow afternoon. He took a skate blade to the face late in Thursday’s victory over St. Louis. It has been a tough season for the 28-year-old as he has scored just twice in 37 games in the first season of a new four-year, $13.6MM contract.
- The Blues announced that winger Vladimir Tarasenko will not play tonight in Toronto due to an undisclosed injury suffered in Thursday’s game against Montreal. The nature of the injury was not disclosed but head coach Craig Berube listed the veteran as day-to-day. Tarasenko has had a nice bounce-back season and leads St. Louis in scoring with 45 points in 44 games. Tyler Bozak will take Tarasenko’s place in the lineup.
AHL Shuffle: 02/19/22
It’s a quieter Saturday than usual around the NHL but there are still 14 teams in action today so there should be lots of roster movement throughout the day. We’ll keep track of those here.
Atlantic Division
- The Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Timothy Liljegren from AHL Toronto, notes TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). The blueliner was sent down for salary cap reasons after Adam Brooks was claimed earlier in the week but with him now off to Winnipeg, they could afford to bring Liljegren back up.
Metropolitan Division
- The Devils have once again flipped backup goalies as they’ve recalled Nico Daws from AHL Utica and sent Akira Schmid down, per the AHL’s transactions log. The opposite move was made on Thursday which allowed Daws to get into a game with the Comets to stay in game shape where he made 26 saves on 28 shots against Rochester.
- The Blue Jackets announced that they have sent winger Trey Fix-Wolansky to Cleveland of the AHL to create a roster spot to activate winger Justin Danforth off IR. Fix-Wolansky had a goal and an assist in his first five games of NHL action despite averaging less than seven minutes a game. Danforth, meanwhile, had missed the last 19 games with a sprained MCL and has two goals and two assists in 13 games this season.
- After clearing waivers, the Flyers announced (Twitter link) that forward Connor Bunnaman has been assigned to Lehigh Valley of the AHL. The 23-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in 15 NHL appearances this season while chipping in with 17 hits.
Central Division
- The Blackhawks have sent winger Brett Connolly back to AHL Rockford, reports Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). The veteran has been shuffled back and forth between the NHL and the minors this season and has just one assist in nine games with Chicago.
- The Blues announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Calle Rosen from AHL Springfield while sending center Dakota Joshua down. Rosen has played in six games with St. Louis this season but has spent most of the year with the Thunderbirds, collecting 20 points. As for Joshua, he has five assists in 22 games this season but needed to be sent down to keep the Blues cap-compliant.
- The Predators have returned winger Cole Smith to Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log. He got into a pair of games with Nashville on his emergency recall, bringing his total this season to eight although he has yet to record a point. He has been much more productive with the Admirals, however, with 22 points in 33 games.
- After Victor Rask cleared waivers, the Wild wasted little time sending him down along with defenseman Dakota Mermis to Iowa, per a team release. Blueliner Calen Addison was recalled in a corresponding move. Rask has 13 points in 29 games with Minnesota this season but his $4MM cap hit made it a guarantee he wouldn’t be claimed. Addison has 17 points in 23 games with Iowa while collecting three in nine NHL contests while Mermis has played just twice with Minnesota this season and has suited up in 30 minor league contests.
Pacific Division
- The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Colton Sceviour from Bakersfield of the AHL. The veteran had actually been handed a two-game suspension for a hit on Canucks prospect Jack Rathbone earlier this week but has yet to serve either of those games. Sceviour has two goals and three assists in 30 games with Edmonton this season plus a pair of helpers in four AHL contests.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Atlantic Notes: Namestnikov, Murray, Ovchinnikov
The Red Wings should have winger Vladislav Namestnikov back in the lineup on Wednesday, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. If that’s the case, the veteran will only wind up missing a week with his current lower-body injury. Namestnikov has 13 goals and 10 assists in 49 games this season and is a candidate to be moved between now and next month’s trade deadline. The quick return also played a role in yesterday’s waiving of Gemel Smith as head coach Jeff Blashill acknowledged that the move was made to give them some extra flexibility with Namestnikov nearing a return as well as winger Carter Rowney.
More from the Atlantic:
- The Senators aren’t expected to have goaltender Matt Murray available this weekend, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He was injured late in Tuesday’s game against St. Louis and while the injury isn’t believed to be serious, it should keep him out for a few more days at least. Murray has quietly played a lot better lately, posting a 2.38 GAA with a .938 SV% in his last 11 games.
- While the Maple Leafs signed prospect forward Dmitri Ovchinnikov yesterday, his time playing in Russia isn’t up just yet. His agent Shumi Babaev told Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link) that while the 19-year-old’s deal with Sibir Novosibirsk was terminated which permits him to join the AHL Marlies this season, Ovchinnikov will be loaned back to Sibir for 2022-23. While Ovchinnikov struggled to produce in the KHL this season with three points in 17 games, he was much more productive at the MHL level with 29 points in 22 contests.
East Notes: Staal, Ristolainen, Trocheck
Marc Staal’s first season with the Red Wings was good enough that the team re-signed him to a one-year, $2MM contract for this one, a deal that also carried a full no-move clause. Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News feels there’s a scenario where Detroit could go that route again with the 35-year-old blueliner. Staal is logging just shy of 17 minutes a night on their back end and can still contribute defensively and on the penalty kill, making him a useful veteran for a team that’s still rebuilding. Staal recently said that he enjoys being with Detroit and considering he controls his destiny when it comes to a trade, there’s a chance that he isn’t flipped by the trade deadline.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is targeting Monday as his return from his upper-body injury, notes Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The veteran has had a tough first season with Philadelphia with just 11 points in 42 games while logging just over 21 minutes a game. Nevertheless, he remains one of the more notable pending unrestricted free agent blueliners that should be on the move between now and the March 21st trade deadline as the Flyers will likely want to recoup at least some of what they paid to get him at the draft (blueliner Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-rounder) if they can’t extend him before then.
- Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck left tonight’s game against Nashville with an upper-body injury (Twitter link). The pending UFA has had a nice contract year with 32 points in 48 games while winning over 53% of his faceoffs.
Trade Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets
With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over 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 Columbus Blue Jackets.
After missing the playoffs last season and moving out veterans Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson over the summer, it was obvious that Columbus was going in the direction of a rebuild. However, they’ve played better than many expected and have a points percentage over .500 and are the first team outside of a Wild Card spot as they sit nine points behind Boston heading into Friday’s action. Even with that in mind, it seems unlikely that GM Jarmo Kekalainen would part with future assets in an attempt to sneak into the final playoff spot but the season they’re having suggests they’re closer to battling for a consistent playoff position than it seemed back in October.
Record
24-23-1, 5th in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$29.248MM today, $51.915MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 40/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: CHI 1st*, CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd, TB 3rd, CBJ 4th, TOR 4th, TOR 6th, ANA 7th
2023: CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th
*-Chicago’s pick is top-two protected. If the Blackhawks wind up with the first or second selection in 2022, the pick will be conveyed unprotected in 2023.
Trade Chips
After a tough first year in Columbus, Max Domi was viewed as someone who would likely be moved at some point. Seattle decided to pass on him in expansion and in the end, that has worked out quite well for the Blue Jackets. The 26-year-old has rebounded nicely, notching 23 points in 38 games this season, providing them with some capable secondary scoring. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent with a $5.3MM AAV, a price tag they’ll almost certainly need to pay down to maximize their return but Domi would fit in on a few playoff-bound squads as a third liner that can move up if needed and also can play on the wing and down the middle. He won’t be the primary target for teams in the coming weeks but as the top options get moved, interest in him should pick up.
Joonas Korpisalo has had some good seasons in his seven-year NHL career but he started to struggle last season and unfortunately for them, it has carried over this year with the highest GAA of his career (3.82) and the lowest save percentage (.887). Those aren’t ideal numbers to have in the season before your first crack at unrestricted free agency as at this point, it seems unlikely he’ll surpass his current $2.8MM AAV. Despite his struggles, his track record is good enough for teams looking to add some goaltending depth for the stretch run but earlier reports had the Blue Jackets seeking multiple fairly high draft picks. That price will need to come down over the next few weeks.
While I have doubts Patrik Laine will be moved, his situation will be one to monitor. He’s having a nice season when he has been healthy and is averaging over a point per game. But he’s about to enter his final season of RFA eligibility and if he simply takes his $7.5MM qualifying offer again, he could hit the open market in July 2023. If the team senses Laine isn’t willing to sign a long-term deal, his name is bound to come up in trade speculation again. That’s a big price tag for any contender to add which is why I think such a move – if it was to happen – would make more sense in the summer. However, as the deadline gets closer, his name is bound to come up in the rumor mill.
Other Potential Trade Chips: D Scott Harrington ($1.633MM, UFA), D Dean Kukan ($1.65MM, UFA), F Kevin Stenlund ($1.05MM, RFA)
Team Needs
1) Defensive Depth: Columbus only has two defensemen on their NHL roster that are signed beyond the end of next season in Zach Werenski and Jake Bean. Players like Adam Boqvist and Andrew Peeke should be part of the longer-term picture but the depth starts to thin out after that. Another young core blueliner would be nice but even a capable short-term veteran will be needed at some point with Kukan and Harrington set to leave at the end of the season.
2) Draft Picks: Even though Columbus had three first-round picks last year, their prospect pool isn’t the deepest as the Blue Jackets had just eight selections in the previous two years combined, a ripple effect of the Blue Jackets making their push two seasons ago. Simply restocking the pipeline is something they need to do.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Fleury, Pavelski, Hayton
While Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is unsure if he’ll be staying in Chicago past next month’s trade deadline, it seems like he’s making plans for next season. The veteran told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tracey Myers, that while his playing days are coming to a close, he’s hoping to play a 19th season in the NHL:
I don’t have that much left, right? So enjoy this season and hopefully next season again. After that, I don’t know.
Fleury is a pending unrestricted free agent and carries a pricey $7MM AAV but there has been some speculation of some contending teams being interested. While he doesn’t carry full trade protection, the Blackhawks have assured him that he will have a say on where he goes, if he winds up being moved. Fleury mentioned that while he has yet to speak to management about the possibility of a trade, he believes his agent Allan Walsh has been in touch with the team about that.
More from the Western Conference:
- While the Stars appear to be likely to part ways with pending UFA defenseman John Klingberg, they’re hoping to avoid a similar fate with center Joe Pavelski as Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News notes that Dallas is hoping to re-sign the 37-year-old. The veteran has a $7MM AAV and is on pace for a career high in points as he has 52 in just 47 games so far. There’s a strong case to be made that he’s worthy of a raise but the length of his next contract will be a big factor. If he was to go year-to-year, Pavelski could theoretically maximize his earnings but at this stage of his career, a multi-season commitment would certainly be appealing. With the Stars looking to keep the veteran, that should take him out of trade speculation for the time being.
- The Coyotes will welcome center Barrett Hayton back to the lineup on Saturday against Los Angeles, reports Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). The 21-year-old has received a significant bump in ice time this season with his ATOI jumping up by more than five minutes a night but it hasn’t resulted in a jump in production as he has just two goals and four assists in 26 games so far. Hayton has been out for nearly six weeks with a hand injury and with his entry-level deal expiring this summer, he’ll be looking for a strong finish to his season to bolster his case for his second contract.
Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We begin our look around the league with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes have made the playoffs in three straight seasons, being eliminated in each of the first three rounds over that span meaning there’s one more hurdle to reach – the Stanley Cup Final. While they’re in a tight Metropolitan Division, they sit at the top of it heading into Saturday’s action with multiple games in hand so they’re poised to make a splash. And with several veterans slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer and a situation where they probably won’t be able to keep them all, this may be their best opportunity to push their chips to the table and try to make a serious run.
Record
32-10-3, 1st in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
No base cap room, $1.801MM in full-season space with LTIR, 0/3 retention slots used, 49/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: CAR 2nd, CHI 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, ANA 6th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, CBJ 7th
2023: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
Trade Chips
It’s hard to see Carolina willingly taking a regular off of their roster unless that’s required to match salaries which could put someone like Ian Cole ($2.9MM, pending UFA) on the radar, particularly if they make a move to upgrade their third pairing. Beyond that, their prospects are where the trade options will be.
One player that stands out as a potential trade option is center Ryan Suzuki. The 20-year-old was a first-rounder (28th overall) back in 2019 but hasn’t had much luck since then, particularly when it comes to staying healthy; he has been limited to just ten games this season with AHL Chicago. His final major junior season was lost last year when the OHL didn’t play and while he got into 26 games with the Wolves, it was in a limited role. In the meantime, others are getting to play ahead of him in the minors and his spot on the organizational depth chart has likely dipped. Still, with recent first-round pedigree, Suzuki is someone that teams will likely be asking about.
Jack Drury is one of those prospects that has slipped ahead of Suzuki on their depth chart. He didn’t look out of place in a two-game stint with Carolina this season and he’s one of the leading scorers for their farm team. He’s someone that could very well push for a roster spot next season in an effort to save a bit of cap space but these are precisely the types of players that teams looking to sell but not get into an expedited rebuild will be looking for.
Defenseman Joey Keane has fared a little better this season, the last one of his entry-level contract. He’s someone that’s going to be eligible for waivers next year and could be in the mix for a seventh defender spot in Carolina as a result. But there should be some teams that would be interested in getting him into their system now for evaluating, either with their own farm team or at the NHL level down the stretch.
Other Potential Trade Chips: D Anttoni Honka (unsigned draft pick), F Andrew Poturalski ($750K, UFA – AHL’s leading scorer), F Patrik Puistola (unsigned draft pick)
Team Needs
1) Middle-Six Two-Way Winger: Carolina finds themselves pretty deep down the middle but they’re not quite as strong on the wing. Another player like Jesper Fast that can play up and down the lineup while providing some defensive value would certainly help give them a deeper lineup with more versatility.
2) Third Pairing Upgrade: Ethan Bear hasn’t been able to have the impact Carolina hoped when they picked him up from Edmonton while Cole is a role player, a shutdown, stay-at-home piece. The same can be said for Brendan Smith. That’s not a bad group of fifth to seventh defenders behind their strong top four but it can be improved upon.
Brandon Sutter Unlikely To Play This Season
Canucks center Brandon Sutter hasn’t played this season as he deals with long-term COVID symptoms and it doesn’t sound like he’ll suit up at all as head coach Bruce Boudreau told beat reporter Jeff Paterson (Twitter link) that he doesn’t anticipate the veteran returning to play at any point this season.
The 33-year-old has been with Vancouver since being acquired in a draft day trade back in 2015 and after playing out his five-year, $21.875MM contract last season, he opted to not test the market, instead inking a one-year, $1.125MM contract at the start of free agency. The deal made lots of sense from a value standpoint as Sutter’s defensive game and faceoff prowess made him a quality fourth-liner but unfortunately, he had to shut his offseason training down soon after signing.
Sutter was among the many Vancouver players who contracted the virus last March that resulted in a lengthy shutdown for the team. He was able to return in April but things have certainly worsened for him since then and he currently is on long-term injured reserve (joining winger Micheal Ferland and defenseman Brady Keeper). He’ll once again become an unrestricted free agent in July but at this point, his focus will simply be on recovering over trying to find a contract for 2022-23.
Central Notes: Kubalik, Blues, MacDonald
Blackhawks winger Dominik Kubalik is one of the more interesting wingers that currently is in trade speculation. He’s only two years removed from a 30-goal campaign and still has another year of team control remaining through arbitration. However, he isn’t having a particularly strong year and that qualifying offer stands at $4MM, a high price for someone whose production is on pace for a 31-point season. Accordingly, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic pegs (subscription link) the 26-year-old as a deadline enigma. If Kubalik has his way, he’d like to stick around with Chicago and not be moved:
Chicago gave me an opportunity to be in the NHL and I love it there. So I’d love to stay.
The question for Blackhawks interim GM Kyle Davidson will be figuring out where the line is between opting for what would probably be an underwhelming trade return (relative to how he played a couple of years ago as a rookie) and where the smarter play would be to keep and qualify him this summer to give him one more chance. In the meantime, Kubalik will have another month to try to up his value both on the trade and contract front.
More from the Central Division:
- Blues defenseman Marco Scandella traveled with the team on their road trip and could play at some point in this four-game stretch, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The veteran is dealing with a lower-body injury and missed his first game of the season over the weekend. Meanwhile, the same can’t be said for fellow blueliner Scott Perunovich as Timmermann notes the youngster won’t be on the trip as he continues to battle an upper-body injury. At this point, with Perunovich already being out for a month, a short-term stint in the minors seems likely when he is cleared to return.
- Avalanche blueliner Jacob MacDonald has been cleared for contact as he works his way back from an injury that has kept him out of the lineup for more than two months, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has been limited to just seven games this season and is currently on LTIR. Even with this step, MacDonald is still likely at least a couple of weeks away from returning.