Detroit Red Wings Sign Patrick Kane
11/29/23: The Red Wings have now made their signing of Kane official.
11/28/23: According to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, free agent forward and future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane is signing with the Detroit Red Wings.
Should this report end up accurate, Kane would be landing with a historic rival of his longtime club, the Chicago Blackhawks.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Kane’s deal is a one-year, $2.75MM pact.
It would also mean Kane will have played for half of the league’s original six teams, after spending part of last season with the New York Rangers.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Kane “was very impressed” with Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, and more specifically his “hockey acumen” and “vision for Detroit.”
By signing in Detroit, Kane has re-united himself with one of his favorite former teammates: Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat, who the Red Wings acquired in the offseason, has had the best seasons of his career on a line with Kane and is currently off to a hot start with 12 goals and 20 points in 20 games.
While DeBrincat has slowed down a bit recently, the arrival of Kane will likely give him a major boost, assuming Kane comes back and plays up to his career standard. That’s far from a guarantee after offseason hip surgery, especially if one considers the impact hip resurfacing surgery had on Nicklas Backstrom.
At the moment, the Red Wings have almost $7MM in cap space to work with according to CapFriendly. As a result, they should be able to comfortably fit the cost of Kane’s contract, assuming the cap hit isn’t excessively expensive.
As for where Kane fits in Detroit’s lineup, one has to assume Lalonde would begin by placing Kane with DeBrincat on the team’s second line, a unit currently centered by J.T. Compher. Doing so would displace Michael Rasmussen, but the 2017 ninth-overall pick’s six points in 20 games is hardly a convincing argument to retain his top-six job over a player like Kane.
Of course, Lalonde could also choose to not immediately go with the DeBrincat/Kane partnership, and instead play Kane on the first line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, replacing Joe Veleno.
In any case, the Red Wings could be getting a significant offensive boost with this signing. Assuming Kane can return to something close to what he was in Chicago and at times on Broadway, Detroit is getting the type of mid-season reinforcement that usually costs teams quality prospects and/or draft picks.
Although Kane’s play in the defensive end has led to questions regarding how much overall value he actually provides, there’s a reason most contending teams would eagerly accept adding Kane to their top-six. He’s one of the defining offensive talents of this most recent era of NHL hockey, and is nearly point-per-game in the postseason across a sample size of nearly 150 games.
The Red Wings are eager to emerge out of their rebuild and return to the playoffs, perhaps making a serious run at the Stanley Cup as well. Adding Kane almost undoubtedly helps them in that pursuit.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seattle Kraken Recall Marián Studenič
The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Marián Studenič from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The 25-year-old has not yet made his NHL debut with the Kraken since signing a one-year, two-way deal with the club this past summer. Studenič has 44 NHL games on his resume, with them almost evenly split between his time with the New Jersey Devils and his stint with the Dallas Stars after they claimed him off of waivers.
A six-foot-one two-way winger, Studenič was given a hefty $325k guarantee and $300k AHL salary by Seattle in order to serve as a reliable top-six forward for their AHL affiliate as well as experienced depth for their big club.
He’s been as advertised in Coachella Valley, scoring six goals and 11 points in 15 games. He’s fourth on the team in scoring and already has a productive AHL campaign on his resume from last season when he scored 21 goals and 48 points in 61 games with the Texas Stars.
Studenič may not draw into head coach Dave Hakstol’s lineup immediately, though, as yesterday’s recall Andrew Poturalski may get that shot. Poturalski, a two-time AHL scoring leader and Calder Cup champion is currently set to slot in on Seattle’s second line next to Alexander Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz. Should he fail to make an impact there, the Kraken now have Studenič to plug into the lineup instead.
New York Rangers To Place Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil On LTIR
The New York Rangers are going to be placing Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil on long-term injured reserve, according to USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano.
Mercogliano adds that the Rangers “don’t believe Kakko’s injury is season-ending,” although he is set to miss “significant time.”
Additionally, Chytil’s LTIR placement is retroactive to November 3rd, meaning he can be activated at any time. The move to LTIR clears cap space for recalls in the immediate term, as placing Chytil and his $4.437MM cap hit gives the club additional flexibility to make moves.
In more LTIR-related news for the Rangers, 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox is set to be activated off of the long-term injury list and is expected to return to the Rangers’ top pairing alongside Ryan Lindgren.
This update on Kakko is both good and bad news for the Rangers. On one hand, Kakko’s injury last night definitely looked severe. One could not be blamed for expecting Kakko to miss the entire season due to the injury, even without knowing more details about the injury.
So today’s news that the Rangers don’t expect the injury to be season-ending, and do believe that it “could have been worse,” is certainly welcome.
That being said, the loss of Kakko for such a significant amount of time is a major setback for the Rangers. The 22-year-old 2019 second-overall pick has undoubtedly had his fair share of issues this season, and his three points in 20 games are a far cry from the 18 goals and 40 points he scored in 2022-23.
That being said, this injury now robs Kakko of what looks to be, at the very least, a massive chunk of his 2023-24 season. While he had struggled in his first 20 games, there was no guarantee that those struggles would continue for the full 82-game slate.
Kakko’s defense and play along the boards have long been appreciated by the Rangers, so maybe with a few more months the points he started tallying with more regularity last season would start coming this year. Maybe, by the end of this season, Kakko could have put together a convincing case to be a long-term member of the Rangers’ core.
Now Kakko has lost the chance to take those major steps forward in his development, at least until far later in the season. Moreover, this injury means the Rangers will be working with significantly less information as to where Kakko stands and what his future holds when they enter contract negotiations with him this offseason.
As for Chytil, as mentioned this move to LTIR is purely cap-related. He’s begun skating again and is moving closer to a return to the ice. He’s been out since November 2nd.
Fox’s return is the good news for the Rangers. He’s the team’s most important defenseman and arguably its best skater. He’s scored more than 70 points in back-to-back seasons and is on pace to score 80 points if he stays healthy the rest of the way. Fox was injured in the same game as Chytil, but his return could come a bit sooner as he’s expected to play tomorrow.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
New York Islanders Activate Matt Martin
The New York Islanders have activated veteran forward Matt Martin off of injured reserve, according to a team announcement.
The move paves the way for Martin, 34, to return to the Islanders lineup for tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils after an injury-related absence kept him off the ice since November 15th.
A veteran of nearly 1,000 games, Martin is an established fourth-line grinder. While he’s never scored more than 19 points in a single season, he’s racked up over 1,100 career penalty minutes and over 3,700 career hits. Martin has been on numerous playoff runs with the Islanders, including back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Final where he chipped in a total of six goals.
Now healthy, Martin will in all likelihood resume his role on the Islanders’ fourth line, alongside longtime linemates Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck.
2016 first-round pick Julien Gauthier had been playing on the “identity line” with Cizikas and Clutterbuck in Martin’s absence, and has registered nine hits in just three games played this season.
Noah Cates Out Six-To-Eight Weeks
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Noah Cates has suffered a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for six to eight weeks.
It’s not immediately clear the nature of Cates’ injury nor where or how he suffered it. In any case, this is a significant loss for a Flyers team that has impressed early this season. John Tortorella’s club currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-9-1 record.
A center by trade, Cates most recently lined up as a left winger on Tortella’s third line, alongside center Ryan Poehling and right winger Joel Farabee. It’s been a more difficult season for Cates, who was excellent as a rookie last year.
A 2017 fifth-round pick by the Flyers, Cates looked to be a home run for the team’s scouting staff last season. The 24-year-old didn’t put up massive scoring numbers at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, save for in his sophomore season. But that didn’t stop him from scoring 13 goals and 38 points as a rookie, all while averaging 17:46 time on ice per game including nearly two minutes on each special teams unit.
That performance earned Cates votes for the Selke, Calder, and Lady Byng trophies, as well as the NHL’s All-Rookie team. He hasn’t been able to carry over that success into this campaign, though, and has seen his ice time decline.
This injury serves as a major setback in a campaign that, in its early stages, had the makings of a sophomore slump for Cates. Making $2.625MM through next season, the hope will be that Cates can return from this injury and re-discover some of the form that made him such a strong rookie in 2023-24.
Minnesota Wild Hire Patrick Dwyer As Assistant Coach, Recall Vinni Lettieri
The Minnesota Wild have made two team announcements this morning: firstly, forward Vinni Lettieri has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Additionally, another name is heading from Iowa to the Twin Cities: coach Patrick Dwyer.
The Iowa assistant has been elevated to new coach John Hynes’ staff, and he’ll take up the responsibilities left by former assistant Bob Woods, meaning he’ll help run the defense and penalty kill.
The recall of Lettieri was necessitated by the suspension of forward Ryan Hartman, who will miss the Wild’s next two games after slew-footing Alex DeBrincat. The grandson of longtime Minnesota North Stars GM Lou Nanne, Lettieri was a college hockey star in Minnesota who has settled into a role as a top-six AHLer and premier NHL call-up option.
This season, Lettieri has scored four points in six games for Iowa and two goals in 11 games with Minnesota. He last played in the NHL on November 18th, during the team’s trip to Sweden.
He could slot into Hartman’s vacated spot on the team’s third line, or Frédérick Gaudreau could see himself elevated from the fourth-line winger role to that 3C spot with Lettieri landing on the fourth line. Alternatively, coach Hynes could entirely re-construct the lineup for his first game in charge, which could introduce some more mystery as to where Lettieri would slot in.
As for Dwyer, the former NHLer began his coaching career as a player-coach with the Belfast Giants of the United Kingdom’s EIHL, serving in that role for the 2018-19 season. He then moved on to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, and then spent three seasons with the Chicago Wolves. He was part of the staff that won a Calder Cup with the Wolves in 2021-22, and began this season with Iowa before now receiving his first chance to coach behind an NHL bench.
New York Rangers Recall Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Edström
The New York Rangers have recalled forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edström, according to a team announcement. In a corresponding move, the Rangers have reassigned Connor Mackey to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The recalls of these two forwards is likely an indication that the Rangers expect to be without Kaapo Kakko for some time. Kakko left last night’s game with an injury and no more detail has been released in an official capacity beyond that.
The recall of Brodzinski is no surprise seeing as he appears to have cemented himself as the Rangers’ first-choice call-up over the last few years. A blisteringly hot start with the Wolf Pack (25 points in just 16 games) has further entrenched him in that role, and as a result, he’s likeliest to step into coach Peter Laviolette’s roster in place of Kakko.
The 30-year-old forward offers versatility (he can play both center and wing) and abundant energy. He’s also regarded as a high-character player, as he is in his third season as captain in Hartford. Since November 15th, Brodzinski has scored 13 points in six games, so maybe with another chance to play in the NHL Brodzinski will be able to chip in some offense.
As for Edström, his recall gives the Rangers a different flavor of forward to potentially plug into their lineup. While Brodzinski is undersized and relies on his work ethic and compete level to succeed at the game’s highest level, Edström boasts rare size at his center position.
The six-foot-eight Swedish pivot was a sixth-round pick of the Rangers at the 2019 draft who is currently in his rookie AHL campaign after a lengthy stint developing with the SHL’s Rögle BK. He has posted decent numbers in Hartford so far (nine points in 18 games) though one does wonder if he’s truly ready for NHL minutes.
Since the Rangers called up two forwards, it is somewhat notable that they passed over veteran Alex Belzile in favor of Edström. Belzile, a former AHL captain, currently ranks second on Hartford in scoring with 18 points in 18 games. He scored at a 16-goal, 37-point pace with the Montreal Canadiens late last season while playing fourth-line minutes, and has experience playing wing, center, and in the NHL playoffs.
But rather than call up Belzile, who may have offered a somewhat similar package of skills as Brodzinski, the Rangers have opted for a player with rare size in Edström, giving the prospect the chance to potentially make his NHL debut.
Yegor Chinakhov Reportedly Unhappy With Role, Considering Trade Request
Although rookie Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov told the media last night, including The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, that he was “going to stay” with Columbus rather than return to Russia, he wasn’t the only Russian Blue Jacket contemplating an exit. (subscription link)
The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger relays word from forward Yegor Chinakhov‘s agent, Shumi Babaev, who says that his client is seeking a change to his current situation. Babaev told Hedger via text message:
He doesn’t feel they trust him, and he wants to leave. They don’t understand how bad [Chinakhov] feels.
According to Hedger, this issue relates to the fact that Chinakhov “isn’t happy playing a fourth-line role” with the Blue Jackets. General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen declined to comment on the matter. 
He currently ranks third-to-last among Blue Jackets forwards in average ice time per game, above only Voronkov, who is a rookie, and Mathieu Olivier, who is an enforcer.
It’s worth noting that Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent did change up his lineup in a manner that favored Chinakhov for last night’s game, and Chinakhov responded with one of the better games of his career.
He scored a goal and added an assist as the Blue Jackets upset the Boston Bruins by a 5-2 margin.
But last night’s success still only brings Chinakhov’s total numbers to four points in 12 games, a far cry from what the Blue Jackets likely expected from the former KHL Rookie of the Year when they drafted him 21st overall at the 2020 draft. According to Hedger, Babaev “expressed Chinakhov’s concerns” to Blue Jackets management 10 days ago, but added that “no trade request has been made yet.”
Given how Chinakhov has struggled to make an impact thus far in his NHL career, it’s not exactly surprising that he’s thinking about how a change of scenery could benefit him. In 104 career games, Chinakhov has just 31 points and a career-best of 13 points in 30 games, which came last season.
Chinakhov has battled injuries along the way, though he hasn’t really had a chance to get significant ice time in the AHL and develop his game there. He is above point-per-game in 11 career AHL contests, but it appears playing Chinakhov with the Cleveland Monsters has never been seen as a legitimate development path for the forward.
Set to turn 23 in February, it’s looking increasingly as though Columbus won’t be the place where Chinakhov will be able to maximize his NHL potential. It’s possible that getting to play on his team’s third line alongside Voronkov and Cole Sillinger is exactly the kind of change Chinakhov needs, rather than a trade. But as we inch closer and closer to NHL trade season, these comments from Chinakhov’s agent cement the former top prospect as a key name to watch.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Carolina Hurricanes
As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Carolina Hurricanes
Who are the Hurricanes Thankful For?
Of all the Hurricanes players, so far this season Jarvis has been the most impressive and taken the biggest step forward. 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a contender for this title until the calendar flipped to November and his hot start faded quickly.
While Kotkaniemi still appears on track to have the best season of his NHL career, it’s Jarvis who has stood out the most.
At the moment, Jarvis is only behind franchise pivot Sebastian Aho on the team’s scoring leaderboard and is on pace to register 35 goals and 65 points by the end of the season. But based on how he has been performing, there is a distinct possibility that Jarvis’ pace even increases over the course of the season.
A player who is defined by his aggressive and fearless approach to creating offense, Jarvis stands just five-foot-ten and yet is an extremely difficult player to win battles against.
The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette reported that Jarvis added eight pounds of muscle this offseason, and his diligent preparation for 2023-24 stands in contrast to how he began last season. Hurricanes head strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston told Lavalette that last season, Jarvis “really wasn’t where we thought he should be or could be” in terms of his preparedness to handle the rigors of the NHL season. (subscription link)
That’s changed in 2023-24, and the Hurricanes are reaping the benefits on an almost nightly basis.
What are the Hurricanes Thankful For?
The struggles of several of their Metropolitan Division rivals.
Entering the season, most neutral observers viewed the Metropolitan Division as easily the NHL’s most cutthroat collection of teams. The division boasted three clear-cut Stanley Cup contenders in Carolina, the New York Rangers, and the New Jersey Devils, while fans were also optimistic that both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin would lead their teams to bounce-back campaigns.
In addition, aggressive offseason additions made by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the returns of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers, and the presence of elite netminder Ilya Sorokin between the pipes for the Islanders meant that the entire Metropolitan division could conceivably have entered the season with legitimate hopes of making the postseason.
So far, things haven’t shaken out quite as expected in the Metro. The Rangers have clearly separated themselves and the Washington Capitals are close to doing the same after a slow start, but otherwise, each team in the division has had its fair share of struggles.
So while the Hurricanes have had a less-than-ideal start to their season, they still find themselves firmly in the mix for a playoff spot due to similarly uneven starts from expected contenders.
The Devils, for example, are currently second-to-last in the division. The Penguins are at the moment sitting on a flat .500 record with 10 wins and 10 losses, while the Islanders have not been able to carve out any sort of consistency under head coach Lane Lambert, whose seat may be starting to warm.
In prior seasons, the Hurricanes’ slow start could very well have doomed them in such a competitive division. This year, the Hurricanes remain firmly in the playoff picture thanks to many division rivals also struggling. That’s definitely something for the franchise to be thankful for in a Stanley Cup-or-bust season.
What Would the Hurricanes be Even More Thankful For?
An improved penalty kill.
When looking for explanations as to why the Hurricanes are currently 11-8-0 and a point behind the still-rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers, the penalty kill might be one of the most obvious choices. Under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, Hurricanes fans have grown accustomed to having among the best short-handed units in the entire NHL.
From 2018-19, Brind’Amour’s first season as the bench boss in Carolina, through 2022-23, the Hurricanes rank a clear first place in the NHL in penalty kill percentage. Their 84.7% kill rate stands a full percentage point above the next-best team, and has been a clear driver of team success throughout the club’s entire Brind’Amour era.
That longstanding track record of success short-handed makes this season’s immense struggles all the more confusing. The team currently ranks eighth-worst in the NHL in penalty killing with a 74.6% kill rate, a far lower number than any years prior. There do not appear to be major structural differences driving this decline, as NHL Edge indicates that the Hurricanes are actually spending even less time in their defensive zone while short-handed than they did last year.
So why has their penalty kill been so uncharacteristically bad? The answer could lie in goaltending. Last year, according to MoneyPuck, Carolina saved 88.24% of its shots on goal while on a four-on-five penalty kill. This season, that number has crashed all the way to 75%, which is by far the lowest mark in the NHL. To put it simply: Hurricanes goalies are not making the saves while short-handed that they once made.
The Hurricanes’ penalty kill, for the entirety of Brind’Amour’s tenure as coach, had served as the bedrock for the team’s exceptional team play. That team play, in turn, translated into success in the standings and multiple deep playoff runs. So far this season, that bedrock has eroded and the penalty kill has dropped to the league’s basement. So the number-one thing that the Hurricanes would be even more thankful for would likely be a return to form for its short-handed units.
What Should Be On the Hurricanes Holiday List?
Potential reinforcements in net.
Expected number-one netminder Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely with a blood-clotting issue. As a result, the Hurricanes have relied more heavily upon a tandem of Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, and that tandem has appeared to be a major weakness so far this season.
According to MoneyPuck, Raanta currently ranks fourth-worst in the NHL in goals-saved-above-expected. Kochetkov, in just six games played, has also posted a below-expected mark.
Using more traditional numbers, both Raanta and Kochetkov have posted disastrous save percentages. Kochetkov has a grisly .874 mark, while Raanta’s .854 save percentage through ten games is a glaring issue.
Although the Hurricanes have found ways to win despite Raanta’s struggles (he has a 6-3-1 record) the veteran netminder will be 35 years old come the postseason and looks far worse than last season, when he posted a respectable .910 save percentage.
Moreover, Raanta’s tendency to run into injury trouble throughout his professional career raises questions as to whether the Hurricanes can rely on him to endure the rigors of being an NHL starting goalie. With each day that passes, it appears more and more necessary for Carolina to seek outside help between the pipes. They already did so in the form of signing veteran Jaroslav Halak to a PTO, but that tryout was relatively short-lived.
Moving into the Holiday season, the Hurricanes should be scouring the goalie market to find a netminder capable of leading them to a Stanley Cup championship. Should contract talks between 27-year-old Sam Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens end without an extension in place, he could be the kind of goalie the Hurricanes target.
Montembeault ranked as one of the league’s better goalies by goals-saved-above-expected last season and has excelled for the Canadiens so far this season. It’s possible that in an environment where his club is likely entering almost every game with a talent advantage, Montembeault could post even greater numbers, just as he did for Canada at the recent IIHF Men’s World Championships. (6-1-0, 1.42 GAA .939 save percentage)
Regardless of if it’s Montembeault or someone else, the Hurricanes should be looking for external help between the pipes. Raanta has simply played too poorly and proven himself to be too injury-prone for the Hurricanes to count on him as their number-one goalie this season, a year where the team is looking to win the Stanley Cup. Entering the Holiday season, a talented goalie should be number one on the team’s wish list.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ottawa Senators Reassign Roby Järventie, Mads Søgaard
In advance of tomorrow’s game against the Florida Panthers, the Ottawa Senators have reassigned netminder Mads Søgaard and forward Roby Järventie to their AHL affiliate, the Bellville Senators.
With Søgaard, this reassignment is likely an indication that starter Joonas Korpisalo is ready to at least dress as the backup goalie tomorrow against the Panthers. Korpisalo had been injured, prompting the Søgaard recall, but there was hope that he’d be ready for the Florida game tomorrow. With this reassignment, it now appears those hopes have become reality.
Søgaard, 22, did not see game action in his latest NHL stint with Ottawa. He has been strong in eight games as the starter for Belleville, posting a 4-3 record, 2.35 goals-against-average, and .923 save percentage.
As for Järventie, this reassignment is less based on roster juggling and likely more about performance. Given the first NHL opportunity of his career, Järventie didn’t receive many minutes and didn’t do very much with the ice time he did receive. Other than registering his first NHL point in a surprising victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on November eighth, Järventie didn’t make much of a mark.
He’s been significantly better at the AHL level, though, and has scored 33 points in his last 46 games there. Now headed back to Belleville, the 21-year-old 2020 33rd overall pick will look to have a productive stretch and potentially earn another shot at the NHL level.