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Injury Updates: Sandin Pellikka, Bennett, Ovechkin

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Axel Sandin Pellikka, one of the Detroit Red Wings’ top prospects, played the gold medal game of the recent IIHF World Junior Championship through an injury. Additionally, Sandin Pellikka will at the very least miss this full next week as he awaits further information on the injury, which could have a “longer recovery period” according to Swedish outlet Sportbladet.

Although Sandin Pellikka couldn’t quite manage to lead Sweden to the gold medal, he nonetheless had an extremely strong tournament with six points in seven games. He’s played club hockey this year for Skellefteå AIK, one of the SHL’s better teams. Playing as the team’s number-two defenseman, Sandin Pellikka has had a strong start to the season with nine goals and 13 points in 25 games.

Some other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett sustained an upper-body injury, according to head coach Paul Maurice. (via AP’s Colby Guy) Maurice added that they’re “not too concerned” about the injury, indicating that it’s likely his injury will not keep him out for much longer than a day-to-day timeline. Bennett is currently slotted in as the Panthers’ second-line center in between Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, and he has scored seven goals and 14 points in 27 games this season.
  • The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber reports that Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is a game-time decision for today’s contest against the Los Angeles Kings. Ovechkin played in the Capitals’ most recent game but was held out of yesterday’s practice as a maintenance day. Ovechkin’s absence would leave a hole on the Capitals’ first line to be filled, with healthy scratch Matthew Phillips potentially taking up his role next to Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson.

Columbus Blue Jackets Reassign Jake Christiansen

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have reassigned defenseman Jake Christiansen to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.

With defenseman Adam Boqvist cleared to return to the ice tomorrow for the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild, Christiansen no longer has his spot on the team’s NHL roster. He got into three total games in his most recent stretch in the NHL, and he registered one assist.

The 24-year-old undrafted WHL product has developed nicely since his rookie AHL campaign with Cleveland. He has a career-high of 45 points and has so far managed 22 points in 28 games this season. That production ranks him inside the top-10 in scoring by a defenseman in the AHL so far in 2023-24, and over the past few years, he has made it clear that he is a high-end offensive defenseman at the AHL level.

In the NHL, Christiansen has largely played in a sheltered role. With this reassignment, he’ll return to the top end of Cleveland’s lineup, while the Blue Jackets will shift focus to Boqvist. Boqvist, 23, has played in 13 games this season and has scored three points.

Minnesota Wild Reassign Sammy Walker, Recall Adam Raška

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The Minnesota Wild have reassigned forward Sammy Walker to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. In a corresponding move, they have recalled forward Adam Raška to fill his spot on their NHL roster.

Walker featured in the Wild’s game yesterday, but after the team lost a difficult 4-1 decision the Wild have opted to swap fourth-line wingers. Walker played alongside Jake Lucchini and Connor Dewar, but the line did not have a great game.

In four NHL games this season, Walker has not yet registered a point and has a minus-three rating. He’s been solid in the AHL though with 19 points in 28 games for the Iowa Wild. The former University of Minnesota star has been like that ever since beginning his pro career in 2022-23: a strong AHL performer who struggles to make the same kind of impact against NHL competition.

Replacing him on the roster is Raška, a 22-year-old former depth forward in the San Jose Sharks organization. He’s played in eight career NHL games and doesn’t yet have his first NHL point. The five-foot-ten Czech forward has struggled to put together offense at the AHL level, with a career high of 14 points there.

But despite his size he does play a relentless, physical game and already has 61 penalty minutes in 20 games this season. Seeing as Minnesota’s fourth line already has some offensively-oriented players in Lucchini and Dewar, swapping out Walker for Raška gives the Wild a touch of physicality and aggression on that trio.

Zach Sanford Placed On Waivers

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The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward Zach Sanford on waivers, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan.

The 29-year-old veteran winger played in has played in 316 career NHL games. He won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues and has a career-high of 16 goals and 30 points. He’s bounced around a bit over the last few years, and is now set to be available to all 31 other teams, at just an $800k cap hit.

Sanford was originally recalled in December and skated in 11 games for the Coyotes, including yesterday’s loss ot the New York Islanders. He has played in a fourth-line capacity, and has scored two points to go alongside eight blocked shots and four hits. He has averaged 9:15 time-on-ice per game this season, but has not skated on any special teams units.

Now, with today’s waiver placement, he’ll be available in case any other NHL team needs a plug-and-play winger who can handle fourth-line minutes in the NHL.

Injury Updates: Kakko, Zuccarello, Brodin, Foligno

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New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko joined the team’s skate this morning in a red no-contact jersey, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. This is believed to be the first instance of Kakko at Rangers practice since the forward suffered a leg injury in November.

While Kakko is likely still a decent way off from a full-on return to the Rangers, this is undeniably encouraging news. The 22-year-old’s injury has left the Rangers thinner at their right wing position compared to just about any other position on their roster, and despite his slow start to the year, Kakko had a career year last season with 18 goals and 40 points.

Some other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello continues to skate as he pursues a return to the ice, and The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Zuccarello could return before the Wild make their trip to Tampa to play the Lightning in the middle of January. Zuccarello has been out since December 16th and has 28 points in 28 games this season.
  • Smith also relayed an update on defenseman Jonas Brodin, who has been out since December 8th due to injury. A key defensive defenseman for Minnesota, Brodin skated for the first time since his injury and could be inching closer to a full return. He’s averaging just under 24 minutes of ice time per game this season, including three minutes short-handed.
  • Marcus Foligno was classified as a game-time decision for the Wild’s January 2nd contest due to a lingering undisclosed injury, but now The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that he’s considered out on a day-to-day timeline. Foligno, 32, is a respected defensive forward and the Wild benefit when he’s on the ice rather than off it, especially considering his $3.1MM cap hit is even more meaningful due to the Wild’s existing cap constraints.

Vegas Golden Knights Claim Tobias Björnfot

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The Vegas Golden Knights have claimed blueliner Tobias Björnfot off of waivers, the team has announced. In addition, forward Grigori Denisenko and defenseman Lukas Cormier have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

This claim of Björnfot ends the defenseman’s time in Los Angeles, at least for the time being. The Kings will have the chance to re-claim Björnfot should he find himself on waivers again this season (just as the Ottawa Senators claimed Lassi Thomson earlier this season after he was originally nabbed by the Anaheim Ducks) but for now he’s off to Nevada.

The 22-year-old was selected 22nd overall by the Kings in 2019, and although he made a name for himself in North America rather quickly, his development never quite took off. The six-foot-one Swedish blueliner plays a solid defensive game and is capable of logging heavy minutes at the AHL level. He’s been more of a bottom-pairing defenseman at the NHL level,

Since Vegas is currently dealing with quite a few injuries to their defense, Björnfot figures to slot into the team’s seventh defenseman role.

The recalls of Cormier and Denisenko place both players in a position to potentially make their Golden Knights debuts. Denisenko, 23, was a waiver claim by Vegas earlier this season and already has 26 games on his NHL resume, exclusively coming during his time with the Florida Panthers. He’s done really well in the AHL so far this season, leading Henderson in scoring with 30 points in 31 games.

As for Cormier, the 21-year-old 2020 third-round pick hasn’t yet played in the NHL. He had a solid start to his pro career last season when he registered 35 points in his rookie AHL campaign, and he’s followed that up with a healthy 12 points in 27 games this season.

Matt Nieto Out Six To Eight Weeks After Knee Surgery

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that forward Matt Nieto underwent successful laparoscopic surgery on his right knee, and is expected to be out of commission on a six to eight-week timeline.

Nieto, 31, has not played since November 30th. Initially, the timeline for his injury was not fully clear, but the Penguins’ eventual placement of Nieto on injured reserve was seen by some as an indication that he’d be out for a more substantial duration of time.

When healthy, Nieto is a key defensive specialist in the Penguins’ forward lineup. Signed as part of the team’s offseason overhaul of its bottom six, Nieto averages nearly two and a half minutes per game on the penalty kill.  That ranks him among the most heavily utilized forwards in Pittsburgh when the opponent is on the man advantage.

His work there has helped Pittsburgh’s short-handed units rank 10th in the NHL in kill rate, which to this point is an improvement over last season’s 16th-place finish. Now they’ll need to rely on other players in Nieto’s absence, though they’ve had the past month to get acquainted with how to manage that and have been decently successful, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

Matt Benning Undergoes Hip Surgery, Out For Season

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The San Jose Sharks have announced that defenseman Matt Benning has undergone successful hip surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the 2023-24 season. Benning’s estimated recovery time is about five months, meaning he’s anticipated to be ready in time for the Sharks’ training camp later in 2024.

Benning had not played since December 3rd, and no firm indication of a return timeline was ever given out in that span. This is a difficult development for both the Sharks and Benning.  Seeing as Benning is under contract at $1.25MM through 2025-26, this injury does not pose a serious risk to Benning’s financial future, as he’s already secured a long-term deal as a free agent. That being said, this injury deals a blow to Benning’s personal goals for the 2023-24 campaign.

When healthy, Benning plays as the Sharks’ number-four defenseman, averaging 18:28 time-on-ice per game. He’s also a leading penalty killer for the club, averaging nearly three minutes of ice time short-handed per game.

In Benning’s absence, the Sharks have leaned more heavily on 23-year-old Ty Emberson, who they claimed off of waivers from the New York Rangers. He doesn’t offer the experience Benning does, but his play has begun to seriously improve in this most recent stretch of games, including in each of the team’s last three games, where Emberson has cleared 20 minutes of ice time with ease.

Minor Transactions: 01/01/24

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One of professional hockey’s marquee events takes place today, with the NHL’s Winter Classic taking place between the two most recent expansion franchises. In addition to that game, games in the CHL, ICEHL and EIHL have been played, as well as an exhibition contest between the U.S. National Team Development Program and the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers. As we begin 2024 in pro hockey, player movement is as active as ever. As always, we’ll keep track of notable transactions here.

  • Former Florida Panthers 31-goal scorer David Booth has found a team for 2023-24. He’s signed a contract with Eisbären Regensburg of DEL2, the second tier of German hockey. Booth, 39, spent last season with Storhamar in Norway’s Eliteserien, scoring 23 points in 17 regular-season games and 18 points in 17 postseason contests. He last played in the NHL in 2017-18 before moving to the KHL to play for Dinamo Minsk. Regensburg are dealing with a long-term injury to star forward Richard Diviš, who originally helped the team achieve promotion from the third-tier Oberliga to the DEL2. Booth has been brought in to cover for that loss, with the hope that he will help keep them in contention for promotion to the DEL.
  • Nick Jermain, a former captain of Quinnipiac University’s men’s hockey team, has signed a contract with Anglet of Ligue Magnus, the top league of pro hockey in France. The 27-year-old Connecticut native actually began his professional career overseas in 2020-21, skating in 15 games in England for the EIHL’s Coventry Blaze. He signed in the ECHL the following year and ended up scoring 31 points in 67 games playing for both the Maine Mariners and Fort Wayne Komets. He was re-signed for the following year by Maine but left mid-season after scoring just nine points, and he spent the rest of 2022-23 with HK Poprad in the Slovak league. This signing marks back-to-back years Jermain has left the ECHL for an overseas transfer mid-season, as this year he began the campaign with the Trois-Rivieres Lions but has now departed for France.
  • 24-year-old German forward Alexander Ehl has signed a one-year contract extension with the DEL’s Düsseldorfer EG, his current team. Ehl, who stands just five-foot-eight, has been a regular in the DEL since 2020-21, and worked his way into the league from the Oberliga. He’s been a consistent bottom-six forward for Düsseldorf in that span and is currently on pace for a career year with 17 points in 29 games.
  • A stable start to the year with Czechia’s HC Litvínov for reliable stay-at-home blueliner Kevin Czuczman has earned him a one-year contract extension. The former AHL alternate captain has played in 15 career NHL games but left North America in 2022-23 to sign with Ilves Tampere of the Finnish Liiga. He played in the Champions Hockey League and 31 league games for Ilves, and now appears to have found a home in the Czech league. In addition to Czuczman, Litvínov has also reached one-year extensions with Latvian import Kristaps Zile as well as veteran Nicolas Hlava.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

Metro Injury Notes: Boqvist, Kuraly, Fast

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Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam Boqvist has not played since December 5th, but he could be inching closer to a return to the ice. According to the Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger, Boqvist skated on his own this morning before Blue Jackets practice, as part of his recovery from a shoulder sprain.

Boqvist has played in a total of 13 games this season, three points. His 17:05 average time-on-ice per game in that span is in line with his career averages, although as he’s now 23 years old one would likely hope to see a step forward from the 2018 eighth overall pick. If he can work his way back into health and into the Blue Jackets’ lineup, the rest of 2023-24 will be his opportunity to take that step forward fans have been waiting for.

Some other injury updates from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent gave a more firm timeline on the injury to veteran Sean Kuraly, telling Hedger that they expect Kuraly to miss around two more weeks. Kuraly hasn’t played since a scary collision knocked him out of a December 23rd contest, but when healthy he’s a crucial bottom-six leader for the Blue Jackets. He has registered 11 points in 35 games this year.
  • Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast will be out of the lineup for the team’s next game, according to Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Fast was on the receiving end of a hit to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor on December 30th, a hit that knocked him out of the game. The 32-year-old veteran winger has 11 points in 37 games this season, skating in his usual bottom-six defensive role.

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