Morning Notes: Kuraly, Day, MacEachern, Kovalchuk
Sean Kuraly is reportedly doing okay after suffering an abdominal injury that led him to collapse behind the Columbus Blue Jackets bench on Saturday night. The 30-year-old forward was transported to the local Grant Medical Center for further evaluation and avoided being admitted. Kuraly’s scary injury brought a premature end to the first period of the Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs matchup.
Kuraly has appeared in 35 games with Columbus this season, recording 11 points and 28 penalty minutes. The centerman is in his third season with the Blue Jackets, who signed him as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. Kuraly joined Columbus on a four-year, $10MM contract, making him the fourth-most expensive forward on the Blue Jackets roster, and the second-most expensive of all healthy forwards with Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic, and Boone Jenner on injured reserve. Kuraly has appeared in 183 career games with the Blue Jackets, scoring 61 points, recording 157 penalty minutes, and setting a -28. This stat line combines with five seasons with the Boston Bruins to bring Kuraly’s career totals to 129 points and 291 penalty minutes in 453 games.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Sean Day to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Day was recalled to the NHL lineup on December 21st and failed to appear in any games with the Lightning. Day has only managed two NHL appearances in his career, both coming in the 2021-22 season. He failed to score in the pair of outings, recording a -2. Day has appeared in 17 AHL games this season, recording eight assists but still searching for his first goal of the year.
- Mackenzie MacEachern has been sent back to the AHL after appearing in five games with the St. Louis Blues. They were MacEachern’s first NHL games of the season, with the 29-year-old winger scoring one assist. MacEachern has also managed 22 AHL games this year, netting 12 points and eight penalty minutes. MacEachern is in his second stint with the Blues, spending four years with the club earlier in his career before briefly joining the Carolina Hurricanes organization last year. MacEachern played in five postseason games as the Blues pursued their 2019 Stanley Cup win.
- Hockey Hall of Fame hopeful Ilya Kovalchuk played in his first professional game since the 2020-21 season on Sunday, scoring an empty net goal to help lead Spartak Moskva over the Kunlun Red Stars. Kovalchuk most recently appeared with Omsk Avangard of the KHL, scoring 17 points in 16 games in 2020-21. The 40-year-old winger led a prolific NHL career, totaling 443 goals and 876 points in 926 games. Kovalchuk recorded 681 points in 594 games with the Atlanta Thrashers, a mark that ranks third all-time in Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise scoring.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: New Jersey Devils
As 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 New Jersey Devils.
Who are the Devils thankful for?
The New Jersey Devils have plenty of blessings to count this holiday season but they’ll be thanking nobody more than Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, the mother of their new franchise pieces on both offense and defense. Jack Hughes has forced his way into the very top echelon of NHL talent this year with a dazzling 14 goals and 39 points in 27 games. That’s a 118-point pace this season and brings Jack to a combined 112 points over his last 82 regular season games. Meanwhile, brother Luke Hughes has tallied 16 points through 32 games of his own this year, ranking second among rookie defenders behind Pavel Mintyukov, who has two more points in one more outing. Luke has looked dazzling through his official rookie season and is a favorite to challenge Connor Bedard for this year’s Calder Trophy. Luke will pass Dougie Hamilton for the scoring lead among Devils defenders with one more point, something that could come soon as he’s taken control of New Jersey’s top power-play unit in Hamilton’s absence.
Surely thanks to her own successes as a hockey player, Ellen has helped the Devils find the pieces that could carry the franchise for years to come. The sky is the limit for New Jersey if both Jack and Luke can keep up their strong play.
What are the Devils thankful for?
A hot streak.
New Jersey didn’t hide their struggles in November, falling to a 6-7-0 record that was marked by two separate three-game losing streaks. And while they’re still working their way up, the Devils managed a much more impressive December, kicking off the month with a 5-2-0 record before falling to another three-game skid. They currently sit at 6-4-1 through 2023’s final month – a fine enough record that could look much stronger if New Jersey wasn’t being outscored 38-to-33 through the month. The Devils have three more games through the end of December, including a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who they beat 6-3 in their last meeting. Ending the month on a high note could go a long way in catapulting New Jersey forward in the new year.
What would the Devils be even more thankful for?
Good health.
The Devils’ season has been undermined by injuries since the start of the year, when they were quickly faced by injuries that held both Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier out of the lineup. Hughes returned quicker than Hischier, who has been in-and-out of the lineup and ultimately missed 11 of the team’s 32 games. Timo Meier has also fallen victim to injury, currently trying to play through lingering issues that have held him out of seven games this season. But it’s the blow to Dougie Hamilton that’s hit the Devils the hardest, with the top defender rumored to be out until the start of the playoffs. Hamilton was playing in over 20 minutes a night for New Jersey, and still leads the team’s defensemen in scoring with 16 points despite missing 12 games.
New Jersey has had to fight through the waves of injuries, relying on depth pieces like Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar to step up big when the team needs it. They’ve performed admirably but there’s no doubting that the team’s 17-13-2 record – which currently sits them outside of the Stanley Cup playoffs – wouldn’t look so sour if they were able to get more games out of their star players. There have only been seven games this season where Hughes, Hischier, and Hamilton appeared in the lineup together. New Jersey showed out in those matchups, going 4-2-1 and outscoring their opponents 29-to-27. They also added an impressive 56.8 CF% (Corsi-For percentage), showing the extent they’re able to dominant play when they have three of their most expensive contracts on the ice together.
What should be on the Devils holiday wish list?
An inexpensive goaltender.
The trade market for goaltenders is getting more-and-more crowded, which stinks for the Devils who have been searching for a new netminder since the summer. Vitek Vanecek‘s -8.8 GSAx (Goals saved above expected) stat is the second-worst in the league, per Moneypuck, only behind Edmonton’s struggling Stuart Skinner. Backup Akira Schmid isn’t far behind him, touting the 11th-worst GSAx in the league. That’s all to say that the team’s goaltenders have not been their strong suit, which helps explain why the Devils are allowing the sixth-most goals in the league.
The Devils will gain $9MM in cap space by moving Dougie Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, money that should let them acquire any goaltender they may be able to get their hands on. But which options are available, and how the price will be inflated by a buyer’s market, is yet to be seen. If they can’t find an option on the open market before March’s Trade Deadline, the Devils may need to turn to minor league options like Isaac Poulter, who currently has the second-highest save percentage among AHL rookie goalies with a .920 in 14 games. Either way, something has got to give with the Devils’ weakest link if they want to meet their pre-season expectations.
New York Islanders Activate Matt Martin Off IR, Share Other Injury Updates
The New York Islanders have activated Matt Martin from injured reserve. The forward hsan’t played since November 15th, battling an upper-body injury. He was formerly activated on November 28th but faced setbacks that required him to be placed back on IR. Martin appeared in 14 games before being moved to IR, scoring two points and recording seven penalty minutes. The 34-year-old is in his 15th NHL season, with all but two years coming with the New York Islanders. Martin ranks eighth all-time in games played for the Islanders franchise, joining a top 10 that also features long-time teammates Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson, and Casey Cizikas.
The Islanders also shared that Julien Gauthier is set to miss the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Washington Capitals with an upper-body injury. Oliver Wahlstrom is expected to fill in for Gauthier, after serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s last seven games. Wahlstrom has scored five points in the 17 appearances he’s made this season. Gauthier has also spent time as a healthy scratch this season, only appearing in 14 of the team’s 31 games. He’s tied Wahlstrom’s five points in his outings.
Finally, New York head coach Lane Lambert shared that none of Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, or Adam Pelech traveled with the team on their two-game road trip that takes them up to the league’s holiday break. All three defenseman are currently on injured reserve, with Pelech placed on long-term IR on November 25th. All three of the injured defenders have averaged 19-or-more minutes of ice time in the games they have appeared in, speaking to the impact that their absences makes on the Islanders lineup.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Alex Stalock, Send Calle Clang To AHL
The Anaheim Ducks have swapped backup goalies, recalling Alex Stalock on an emergency loan and sending Calle Clang to the minor leagues. Clang recently received the first NHL call-up of his career, getting his first view of the NHL when he backed up Lukas Dostal in the team’s Monday win over the New Jersey Devils.
Clang has already appeared in 12 AHL games this season, setting a 2-7-2 record and .882 save percentage. He made his debut in the league following the conclusion of the SHL’s 2022-23 season, appearing in five games with the San Diego Gulls before the end of the year. And while Clang is still an AHL rookie, he does have top-league experience, combining for 43 games in the SHL between the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons and managing a combined 22-15-0 record and .906 save percentage.
The Ducks will turn from a rookie of North American pros to a 14-year veteran of the leagues in Alex Stalock, who made his AHL debut with the 2009-10 Worcester Sharks. The Ducks are slated to become the fourth NHL team that Stalock has played for, with the San Diego Gulls becoming his sixth AHL team. The 36-year-old goaltender has appeared in 223 AHL games across his career, totaling a 109-86-14 record and .910 save percentage. He has also managed a 70-65-20 record and a .908 save percentage in 179 career NHL games. 63 of these games have come in the Pacific Division, with Stalock spending six seasons with the San Jose Sharks.
Stalock will back-up Dostal as long as starter John Gibson remains on the non-roster list for the birth of his child.
Minnesota Wild Move Mats Zuccarello To Injured Reserve
The Minnesota Wild have placed their leading point scorer, Mats Zuccarello, on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. This will hold the 36-year-old winger out for at least one week, although the team’s recent designation of Zuccarello as ‘week-to-week’ suggests that he might be out for longer. Zuccarello has 28 points in 28 games this season, including a team-leading 22 assists.
Zuccarello is continuing to excel offensively with Minnesota, after recording 67 points in 78 games last season and a career-high 79 points in 70 games in 2021-22. The Wild brought in Zuccarello ahead of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, dealing two conditional draft picks to Dallas that would ultimately turn into a 2019 second round pick and 2020 third round pick. Minnesota signed Zuccarello to a two-year, $8.5MM contract extension in September, carrying the winger through the 2025-26 season.
Minnesota is getting back on track under new head coach John Hynes, winning eight of the 11 games they’ve played under the new brass. This hot streak has been manned by Minnesota’s youth, with Brock Faber scoring six points, Marco Rossi scoring seven points, and Matt Boldy scoring 10 points since Hynes took over. This includes Boldy’s seven goals in his last 11 games, tied for the third-most in the league since November 28th.
Vinni Lettieri slotted into the lineup to fill in for Zuccarello on Tuesday night and looks to remain on the ice as the Wild don’t currently have any extra forwards on the roster. The team could also turn towards a minor league call-up, with Nic Petan, Jujhar Khaira, and Samuel Walker all having slotted into the NHL lineup at some point this season.
Evening Notes: Devils, Svechnikov, Hill
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently shared that New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton could be out through the end of the regular season, after undergoing surgery to repair a pectoral injury. The Devils would gain $9MM in cap space if they moved Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, money that LeBrun says would put the Devils in a position to be aggressive at the Trade Deadline.
The Devils have come back into their own, winning seven of their last 10 games after a more-than-slow start to the year. LeBrun added that the Devils would be in the market for roster pieces, including looking for a new goaltender. New Jersey was rumored to be closely attached to former Vezina Trophy-winner Connor Hellebuyck this off-season but weren’t able to get a deal done before the netminder signed a seven-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets. Hellebuyck’s new deal carries a cap hit of $8.5MM – just under the Devils’ available cap. The deal also carries a no-movement clause for its first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause for the last four.
There’s no doubting the Devils’ need for a goaltender. The team has scored the eighth-most goals in the league through the first half of the year but they’ve allowed the tenth-most goals-against, with both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid boasting save percentages below .900.
More notes from around the league:
- Andrei Svechnikov is set to return to the lineup on Tuesday night, after missing the Carolina Hurricanes’ last six games with an upper-body injury. Svechnikov has only appeared in 16 games this season, scoring one goal and 11 points, after battling to return from surgery on his ACL in March.
- The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t expecting starting goaltender Adin Hill to join them on their upcoming four-game road trip, including the team’s Tuesday night matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Head coach Bruce Cassidy shared that the netminder is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Hill has played in 15 games this season, setting a 10-2-2 record. He leads the NHL in goals-against-average (1.93) and save percentage (.933).
Mats Zuccarello Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
The Minnesota Wild have announced that Mats Zuccarello will miss the team’s Tuesday night game, designating him as week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The veteran forward has been a focal piece of Minnesota’s offense through the early season, currently leading the team in scoring with 28 points in 28 games.
Zuccarello is in his fifth season with Minnesota, after spending nine seasons with the New York Rangers. His 14-year NHL career comes despite the 5’8″ winger originally going undrafted. Zucarello originally signed with the Rangers following the end of the 2009-10 SHL (then the SEL) season. Zuccarello led MODO Hockey in scoring that season,
Zuccarello began his North American career at the end of the SHL’s 2009-10 season, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Rangers after leading MODO Hockey in scoring. He split the 2010-11 season between the AHL and NHL, recording 23 points in the 42 games he managed with the Rangers lineup. He again split time between the two leagues for 2011-12 and traveled to the KHL for ice time during the lockout 2012-13 season. As a result, it wasn’t until 2013-14 that Zuccarello received his first full NHL season and he made the most of it – leading the Rangers in scoring with 19 goals and 59 points in 77 games. His strong offense helped propel New York to the Stanley Cup Finals that season, with Zuccarello adding 13 points in 25 playoff games.
Extra forward Vinni Lettieri will likely slot into the lineup in the wake of Zuccarello’s injury. Lettieri has already appeared in 14 games with the Wild this season, scoring three goals and four points. Minnesota could also turn towards an AHL call-up, with minor-leaguers Nic Petan, Jujhar Khaira, and Samuel Walker all slotting into the NHL lineup at some point this season.
Philadelphia Recalls Rhett Gardner and Cal Petersen, Send Olle Lycksell Down
4:00 PM: Carter Hart is slated to miss Tuesday night’s game with illness, despite optimism around his return. Samuel Ersson will start for the Flyers, with Cal Petersen backing him up.
3:00 PM: The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Rhett Gardner and goaltender Calvin Petersen, sending rookie Olle Lycksell down to the minors. These moves come in the wake of Carter Hart‘s expected return to the lineup, with the goaltender coming back from a string of illnesses that held him out of the team’s Thursday night matchup and two games last month.
Petersen is joining a crowded goalie room that’s already home to Hart and Samuel Ersson. This is likely in preparation for the NHL Holiday Roster Freeze, which goes into effect at 11:59 P.M. local time on December 19th. The Flyers play three games before rosters unfreeze on December 28th. Teams are able to exceed the 23-man roster limit during this freeze, so long as they have the cap space to do so. Philadelphia is cutting it close, with just $730K left in cap space after these recalls – thanks to Petersen’s hefty $5MM cap hit.
Petersen has served as the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms starting goaltender for much of the season, recording a 4-6-1 record and .898 save percentage in 11 appearances with the team. He’s also appeared in two NHL games this year, splitting the matchups and setting a .896 save percentage. The Flyers acquired Petersen as part of a six-player trade in June, acquiring Sean Walker, Helge Grans, and three draft picks in addition to the 29-year-old goaltender.
Lycksell is being sent to the minors after making one appearance with the Flyers this season. He failed to record a point in the matchup but did receive one penalty. Lycksell has already appeared in 21 AHL games this season, scoring 12 goals and 19 points. The Flyers are swapping him with Rhett Gardner, who has yet to make his debut with the Flyers after spending the last five seasons in the Dallas Stars organization. Gardner has appeared in 21 AHL games this season, scoring four points and receiving 39 penalty minutes. The 27-year-old centerman has totaled 40 career NHL games and scored a pair of points.
Washington Capitals Waive Lucas Johansen
12/19: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms that Johansen has cleared waivers, and may now be sent down to Hershey.
12/18: The Washington Capitals have placed defenseman Lucas Johansen on waivers. The 26-year-old has played in six games with Washington this season, recording one assist, four penalty minutes, and a +1.
Johansen made the Capitals roster out of training camp, his first time spending all season with the top club. He spent most of last season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears where he recorded one goal, seven points, and a -5 through 40 games. He also received a pair of NHL games, although he failed to make any changes to his stat-line. Johansen did however manage to record one assist in his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season, although the defenseman is still searching for his first NHL goal. The Capitals drafted Johansen 28th-overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, taking him ahead of a Second Round that has since produced 10 different players who have played in 200-or-more NHL games, including standout names like Alex DeBrincat, Samuel Girard, and Carter Hart.
Johansen going on waivers opens the door for the Capitals to sign Ethan Bear. Bear has been a popular free agent after returning from a shoulder injury suffered during the 2023 IIHF World Hockey Championship. Bear would require surgery, keeping him from signing a new contract despite being an unrestricted free agent throughout the summer. The 26-year-old defenseman appeared in 61 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season, recording 16 points, 25 penalty minutes, and a +6. The Capitals will become the fourth franchise that Bear has played for, if he signs with them, after also spending seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers.
Pittsburgh Penguins Place Ryan Shea On Waivers
12/19: Shea has cleared waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, and may now be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
12/18: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Ryan Shea on waivers. Shea has appeared in 22 games with the club this season but is still searching for his first point of the year. The only changes to his stat line have been six penalty minutes and a -2.
This is Shea’s first season in the NHL, although he’s still three games shy of it officially being his rookie year. The 26-year-old defender has spent the last three seasons with the AHL’s Texas Stars, where he consistently ranked as one of the team’s top-scoring defensemen. This includes when he scored 28 points in 70 AHL games last year, ranking behind Will Butcher, Thomas Harley, and Ben Gleason. Shea joined the Penguins organization this summer, signing a one-year, $775K contract with the team on July 1st. He was originally drafted with the last pick of the fourth round in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He was picked one pick after Mathieu Joseph and two picks ahead of Conor Garland, both players that now rank in the top 32 of the 2015 draft class in terms of NHL games played.
The Penguins were bound to have to cut ties with one defenseman, as veteran Chad Ruhwedel is slated to return from a lower-body injury that had the defender placed on injured reserve. Ruhwedel has missed the team’s last 12 games, serving as a healthy scratch for the foremost one. He’s scored one assist in the 15 games that he has appeared in, adding two penalty minutes and a -3. Ruhwedel is in his eighth season with the Penguins and the 12th season of his NHL career.