Philadelphia Flyers Sign Ryan Poehling To Two-Year Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have signed forward Ryan Poehling to a two-year, $3.8MM contract extension. Poehling has appeared in 44 games with the Flyers this season, netting 14 points, six penalty minutes, and a -8.
Poehling is in his first year with the Flyers, moving away from the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s earned a pay raise over the one-year, $1.4MM deal he’s on with Philadelphia, settling into a comfy role on the third-line and penalty kill. With this two-year extension, the 25-year-old will get his first chance to settle into a role since making his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens at the end of the 2018-19 season. He spent the next three seasons between Montreal’s NHL and AHL lineup – ultimately totaling 85 games and 22 points with the club. His year with Pittsburgh was his first spending an entire season with the NHL lineup. Poehling was part of a very strong late-first round in the 2017 NHL Draft, getting selected a few picks after Robert Thomas and Filip Chytil and just before Jake Oettinger and current teammate Morgan Frost.
Poehling signed his two-year extension on the same day that teammate Owen Tippett signed an eight-year extension with the Flyers. Tippett has become a favorite for Philadelphia’s top brass, largely thanks to the 18 goals and 30 points he has through 46 games this season. Tippett has become a force under head coach John Tortorella, scoring 27 goals and 49 points in 77 games last season and seemingly only getting better. It’s an exciting surge forward for the 24-year-old, who had yet to really get it going. Tippett was also a part of the 2017 Draft class, rounding out a top 10 that yielded Cale Makar and Elias Pettersson.
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic was the first to report the extension.
Nashville Predators Sign Kevin Gravel To Two-Year Extension
The Nashville Predators have inked defenseman Kevin Gravel to a two-year, two-way, $1.5MM contract extension. The deal will carry a $775K cap hit at the NHL level. Gravel is currently the captain of Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He’s spent all season leading the AHL club, appearing in 36 games and recording six points, 13 penalty minutes, and a +6.
This year marks Gravel’s second in the Nashville organization, with the defender joining the club with a contract identical to this extension in July of 2022. He spent 23 games in the NHL lineup last year, netting one point, four penalty minutes, and a -10. It was Gravel’s first NHL action since the 2019-20 season when he appeared in three games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gravel has totaled just 132 career NHL games since making his debut with the Los Angeles Kings in 2015-16. He’s scored 14 points and recorded 16 penalty minutes in those outings, operating as a low-event, shutdown defender with four different NHL clubs over his career. The Kings drafted Gravel in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, taking him in the same round that yielded Zach Hyman, John Klingberg, and Brendan Gallagher. Gravel is one of 10 different players from that round to appear in at least 100 NHL games.
The Predators secure an organizational leader and long-tenured veteran in extending Gravel. The defender has accumulated 358 career AHL games, netting 93 total points. He will likely continue to serve as a focal piece of Milwaukee’s lineup through the end of his career.
San Jose Sharks Recall Shakir Mukhamadullin
The San Jose Sharks have recalled top defensive prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin to the top league, marking the first call-up of the 22-year-old’s career. Mukhamadullin currently ranks fourth in scoring among U22-defenseman in the AHL, with 26 points in 39 games. It’s Mukhamadullin’s first full season in North American pros, though he played in 12 minor league games and scored 10 points at the end of last season.
Mukhamadullin moved over to the AHL at the end of Ufa’s KHL season last year. He recorded 25 points in 67 games with the club last season, a mark that led the team’s defensemen in scoring. Mukhamadullin grew up through Ufa’s system and totaled 167 games and 43 points with the club across four seasons.
Mukhamadullin was a focal piece of the trade that sent Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils, with the former first-round selection joined by two first-round picks, as well as forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Andreas Johnsson, as well as fellow Russian defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk, who has already played in 35 games with the Sharks this season.
Mukhamadullin is one of three remaining players from the 2020 NHL Draft’s first round to not yet play his NHL debut, alongside Dallas’ Mavrik Bourque and fellow Sharks teammate Ozzy Wiesblatt. Wiesblatt has appeared in 25 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda this year, netting two goals, seven points, and 25 penalty minutes in what is his second full AHL season.
New Jersey Devils Move Jack Hughes To IR, Dougie Hamilton To LTIR
The New Jersey Devils have moved star forward Jack Hughes to injured reserve, retroactive to his last game on January 5th, and moved star defenseman Dougie Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, per team reporter James Nichols. Hughes will be eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy, which isn’t expected to come until after the All-Star break, but Hamilton will now be set to miss at least 24 days of action. The top defender is recovering from a pectoral injury that required surgery earlier in the season.
The Devils have missed both Hughes and Hamilton for prolonged periods this season. Hamilton appeared in the team’s first 20 games before being knocked out of the lineup. He scored admirably in those games, netting 16 points – a mark that still ranks second among Devils defensemen in scoring.
Hughes has managed a bit more ice time, appearing in 32 games and ranking second on the team with 45 points. The 22-year-old centerman is scoring at a 115-point pace across 82 games, which would mark the most points any Devils player has ever recorded. It’s a record Hughes already set last season, with his 99 points in 78 games beating out the 96 points Patrik Elias scored in 2000-01. While injuries have clouded his red-hot season, Hughes is working hard to solidify himself as New Jersey’s next franchise centerman and is already outplaying the eight-year, $64MM contract extension he was signed to midway through the 2021-22 season.
New Jersey Devils Claim Nick DeSimone Off Waivers From Calgary
The New Jersey Devils have claimed defenseman Nick DeSimone off of waivers from the Calgary Flames. The 29-year-old has appeared in 23 games with the Flames this season, netting five points and a -4. He’s also appeared in 10 AHL games, recording eight assists and a +7.
DeSimone is in his eighth professional season since making his AHL debut at the end of the 2016-17 season – signing a two-year contract as an undrafted free agent with the San Jose Sharks. DeSimone served as a locked-in lineup piece for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda for five seasons, before moving to the New York Rangers organization in the three-team trade that sent Mattias Janmark and Brett Howden to Vegas. DeSimone signed with the Calgary Flames soon after this move, continuing to serve as a minor league option for a variety of AHL clubs.
The Flames finally rewarded DeSimone’s long tenure in the minors with four NHL games last season. The defender went without a point, adding two penalty minutes and a -4. He’s gotten a chance at a much bigger NHL role this season, finally playing a majority of the year in the top league. He will look to continue carving out an NHL role on a Devils team that’s currently missing top defenseman Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, as well as depth option Brendan Smith. The Devils also granted defenseman Callan Foote a leave of absence on Wednesday, effectively sliding DeSimone into the role of seventh defenseman.
Arizona Coyotes Claim Adam Ružička Off Waivers From Calgary
The Arizona Coyotes have claimed Calgary Flames forward Adam Ružička off of waivers. Ružička has appeared in 39 of Calgary’s 47 games this season, netting three goals and nine points. He’s also recorded six penalty minutes and a -8.
Ružička has slowly established his place in the NHL over the last four seasons, making his debut with the Flames in 2020-21. He’s since totaled 114 career NHL games and 40 career points, adding 26 penalty minutes. He is one of seven players from the 2017 NHL Draft’s fourth round to play in at least 100 NHL games, alongside players like Ottawa’s Drake Batherson and Buffalo’s Jacob Bryson. Ružička has also appeared in 98 AHL games across three seasons, totaling 68 points.
Ružička provides much-needed center depth to a Coyotes team that currently has Barrett Hayton and Travis Boyd on injured reserve. The team has turned towards Dylan Guenther in light of their injuries, with the 20-year-old winger managing six points in nine games this season. Guenther also leads the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in scoring with 28 points in 29 games – despite the team playing in nine more games since the winger’s call-up.
Now without Ružička, the Flames will need to turn towards one of Cole Schwindt, Adam Klapka, or Walker Duehr to takeover the open bottom-line role. Schwindt and Klapka have only played in one and two games respectively, while Duehr has seen 19 appearances and scored four points. Calgary also has Matthew Coronato currently in the NHL lineup. The former first-round pick is 13 games into his rookie NHL season, boasting just two points, four penalty minutes, and a -9.
Snapshots: Kraken, Woll, Svechnikov, Morrissey
Vince Dunn is slated to return to the Seattle Kraken lineup on Wednesday, while Matthew Beniers is expected to remain out, team radio host Mike Benton relays. Both players have missed the last four games, and their absences have been felt – with Seattle losing all four and getting outscored 15-5.
Dunn lost the team’s leading scorer title to Oliver Bjorkstrand during his absences, with Bjorkstrand’s 36 points in 46 games cresting Dunn’s 35 points in 42 games. The 27-year-old Dunn still ranks 11th among the league’s defenders in scoring, on pace for a career-high 65 points in 78 games if he maintains this pace through the rest of the season – a mark that would just beat out the 64 points in 81 games he scored last season.
Hakstol also shared that goaltender Philipp Grubauer‘s availability would be gauged in Wednesday night’s warmups. Grubauer has been out since December 9th with a lower-body injury. He’s managed five wins and a .884 save percentage in the 17 games he’s managed to appear in this season.
Other notes from around the league:
- Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including David Alter of Sports Illustrated that goaltender Joseph Woll will rejoin the team’s practices when they return from the All-Star break. Woll has been out since December 7th with an ankle injury. He was wrapped up in a race for Toronto’s starting position prior to his injury, setting eight wins and a team-leading .916 save percentage through 15 games. Woll will continue to make his case as an everyday NHLer when he returns, after entering the season with just 11 career games.
- Andrei Svechnikov will miss the Carolina Hurricanes’ Wednesday night game with an upper-body injury, per team reporter Walt Ruff. Svechnikov has only appeared in 29 of Carolina’s 45 games this season but he ranks third on the team in scoring with 30 points, including 16 points over his last 10 games.
- Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury and will not return, per a team announcement. While he hasn’t been able to score at the same level as a year ago when he had 76 points in 78 games to finish fifth in Norris Trophy voting, he entered tonight with 33 points in 45 contests to lead all Winnipeg blueliners in scoring by 15 points over teammate Neal Pionk.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Mitchell Chaffee
The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Mitchell Chaffee from the Syracuse Crunch. This is Chaffee’s second call-up of the season, with the 25-year-old making his debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 12th. It was only the third game of Chaffee’s NHL career, with his other two appearances coming with the Minnesota Wild during the 2021-22 season. He’s yet to see a change in his stat line, though, going without a point or penalty, and having a -1 this season cancel out his +1 from two years ago.
Chaffee has also appeared in 33 AHL games this season, netting 11 goals and 25 points. It continues what’s been a productive AHL career for Chaffee, as he scored 23 goals and 39 points in 49 games last year and carries a career total of 88 points in 120 games. Chaffee kicked off his professional career in the 2020-21 season, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Wild after the end of University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s season. He spent three seasons in the Wild organization before signing a one-year contract with Tampa this summer.
Chafee played two seasons with the USHL’s Bloomington Thunder before his collegiate career – the predecessor to the ECHL’s newest club, the Bloomington Bison, revealed on Wednesday. The Bison brings Bloomington its highest level of hockey, though the city has previously hosted the CHL’s Bloomington PrairieThunder, the SPHL’s Bloomington Thunder, and the USHL’s Thunder and Central Illinois Flying Aces.
Afternoon Notes: Panthers, Myers, Johnson
Top Florida Panthers centerman Aleksander Barkov will be a game-time decision for the team’s Wednesday night game against the Arizona Coyotes, per head coach Paul Maurice. Barkov has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury. Maurice also shared that defenseman Gustav Forsling is expected to make his return from a personal absence that held him out of Monday night’s game.
The Panthers performed admirably despite Barkov and Forsling’s absence, beating the Nashville Predators 4-1, bringing an end to a four-game losing streak. Interestingly, the losing streak came immediately after a nine-game winning streak that dated back to the holiday season. Florida will look to get back to their festive feelings with the return of both their second-highest-scoring forward and defenseman on a point-per-game basis.
Centerman Nick Cousins also made his return to Florida’s practices on Monday, wearing a no-contact jersey. Cousins has been out since January 2nd with a concussion. He’s appeared in 37 games this year, netting five points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -10.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent defenseman Philippe Myers to the AHL. Myers has been with the top club since January 1st, appearing in five games and failing to score a point. He’s spent the majority of his season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s managed a team-leading +20, in addition to nine points and 43 penalty minutes, through 28 games.
- Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson will miss the team’s Wednesday night game with a nagging lower-body injury, per head coach Jared Bednar. He’s been designated as day-to-day. Johnson has played in 47 games this year, netting nine points, 34 penalty minutes, and a +6 – though he’s averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time, a step down from the 17 minutes he averaged last season.
Morning Notes: Laine, Werenski, Byram, Engvall
Zach Werenski and Patrik Laine are expected to return on the five-game road trip the Columbus Blue Jackets begin on Tuesday. Laine has missed the team’s last 14 games with a broken collarbone, while Werenski has missed 10 games with an ankle injury.
The Blue Jackets went 3-4-3 without their pair of top talents, averaging just 2.7 goals-for and 4.1 goals-against. Werenski’s return will mark the most notable impact, as the 26-year-old defenseman still ranks third on the team in scoring – with one goal and 25 points in 34 games – despite missing 11 games on the season. Laine hasn’t been as productive, boasting six goals and nine points in 18 games, though he was on a hot streak before his injury – netting five points in his last six games. The duo have become pivotal to Columbus’ success, and frequent absentees from the lineup. Laine posted 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games last season, while Werenski was only able to appear in 13 games – and score eight points – as he missed most of the season with a torn labrum and separated shoulder. The Blue Jackets will hope both players can find a newfound bout of health upon their return, as they work to improve on a season that currently has them ranked in the league’s bottom five.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Colorado Avalanche have activated defenseman Bowen Byram off on injured reserve. The 22-year-old defenseman has appeared in 39 of Colorado’s 47 games this season, netting 12 points split evenly. He’s managed the scoring while serving in a top-end role, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time – though it’s a step down from the nearly 22 minutes of ice time Byram averaged in 42 games last season. Caleb Jones and Sam Malinski will likely step out of the lineup to make space for Byram, though one of the two could still see ice time as the Avalanche have opted for seven defensemen recently.
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Stefen Rosner of NHL.com is reporting that New York Islanders forward Pierre Engvall is feeling better and has returned to full contact at Islanders practice. The 27-year-old has been dealing with an upper-body injury and has not suited up for New York since a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on January 15th. Engvall’s style of play should be well suited for new head coach Patrick Roy’s system as puck possession remains a strong suit for the former seventh-round pick. Engvall’s numbers are down a bit this season as has just five goals and nine assists in 41 games this season. His shooting percentage has plummeted to just 7.5% down from a career-high 13% last season. There is no timetable yet for Engvall to return to the Islanders lineup.